Aberdeen fans chanted "sacked in the morning" as embattled manager Jimmy Thelin's miserable start to the season continued with a meek Scottish Premiership defeat against Dundee United at Tannadice.

Goals from Ivan Dolcek and Bert Esselink either side of half-time inflicted a fourth league loss from their opening five matches for the Scottish Cup winners.

Dolcek - with his fifth goal in his first five league games for United - found the bottom corner just before the interval with a fine strike on his weaker right foot.

Then a helping hand from Aberdeen allowed Jim Goodwin's side to double their lead on 50 minutes. Esselink was left all alone from a corner and powered a header beyond Dimitar Mitov after a flick-on from Vicko Sevelj.

Thelin's side still haven't scored in the league and although they created several good chances, they again lacked a clinical touch.

Jesper Karlsson headed a decent chance wide in the opening stages and lashed a golden opportunity over the top in the second half, while Stuart Armstrong's curling effort from range bounced out off the bar.

Thelin - who has won just four league games in 2025 - was mocked by the home fans throughout the contest, with the sizeable away support joining the calls for him to go late on, and booing on the full-time whistle.

Thelin was the toast of the town when Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup in May, but that goodwill has evaporated as their dismal league form has carried into the new campaign.

This is their worst start to a league campaign since 1999, when they lost their opening seven matches and finished bottom of the table.

The Swede went to the away end to thank them for their support - as did his players - but the supporters that remained booed and gesticulated angrily at a man whose future seems to be firmly in doubt.

The three high-profile additions to his squad on the final day of the transfer window - Bologna loanee Karlsson, Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet and Armstrong - failed to fire at Tannadice at a time when Thelin desperately needed a spark.

After over a year without regular football, Armstrong - unsurprisingly - looks off the pace, while Karlsson's tricks were overshadowed by a couple of poor finishes.

Nisbet struggled to get into the game at all, having just 13 touches in 67 minutes.

In stark contrast, United looked a team full of confidence and in Dolcek they have a player who looks to be among the best in the division.

The Croatian winger - signed from Dunajska Streda in the summer - took his goal with aplomb and could have had more as he regularly picked up excellent positions.

He offered a creative threat too, swinging in eight crosses and linking up well with striker Zac Sapsford.

In midfield, Panutche Camara and Vicko Sevelj were both excellent, covering a remarkable amount of ground and driving forward in possession.

The celebratory atmosphere at Tannadice was reflective of a club on the up, in contrast to Aberdeen's nosedive.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "We're delighted. It was an excellent team performance from start to finish.

"We scored a couple of very good goals and showed resilience in the last 10 minutes when Aberdeen were throwing everything at us, but it was very comfortable.

"It shows money is not everything when you have character, desire and togetherness."

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "It's tough. We shared with the supporters after the game that they're angry and frustrated with our performance and result.

"We need to find answers really quickly now to get the team going in the right direction and show our fans much more.

"Right now we have one point and zero goals and there are a lot of things to fix, in both boxes. Now we need to step up and we have another chance on Saturday."

United welcome Kilmarnock to Tannadice on Saturday (15:00 BST), while Aberdeen are away to Motherwell on the same day (17:45 BST).