Scottish Premiership
DundeeDundee0AberdeenAberdeen7

Dundee 0-7 Aberdeen

By Martin DowdenBBC Scotland at Dens Park

Defender Andrew Considine scored a hat-trick as Aberdeen hammered a dismal Dundee side to ensure Celtic must wait to be crowned Premiership champions.

A win for Dee would have handed the title to Celtic, but their visitors put that prospect to bed in the first half.

A Considine double and goals from Adam Rooney and Kenny McLean had Derek McInnes' men 4-0 up at the break.

Ryan Jack hit the fifth before Niall McGinn tapped home and Considine completed his hat-trick.

Celtic will clinch the title on Sunday if they beat Hearts at Tynecastle (12:30 BST kick-off)

Aberdeen are 11 points clear of Rangers in third, while Dundee are eighth.

Adam Rooney was on the end of a delightful Shay Logan delivery to make it 2-0
Adam Rooney was on the end of a delightful Shay Logan delivery to make it 2-0

Outstanding Aberdeen

The Dons are in a very strong position to finish second behind Celtic, with their showing here throwing the gauntlet down to Rangers before their meeting next weekend.

Their performance was even more dominant than the scoreline suggests.

Aberdeen bossed it from the first whistle and Considine nodded over the bar with a great early chance.

He made up for that miss soon after, powering home a header from Jonny Hayes' perfect delivery.

Rooney drew a good stop from Dee keeper Scott Bain, but the striker did not have to wait long to add his name to the scoresheet, headed in Shay Logan's exquisite cross.

McLean slammed in number three with his right foot before Considine cashed in on sloppy defending to nod his second.

There was no let-up after the break as Jack slotted the fifth in off the post, McGinn tapped home and Considine slid in to seal his hat-trick.

Aberdeen skipper Ryan Jack produced a fine finish to make it 5-0
Aberdeen skipper Ryan Jack produced a fine finish to make it 5-0

Dundee demolished

What a horrible evening this was for Paul Hartley's side.

Not many teams would have contained Aberdeen in this form, but Hartley will be furious at some of his side's defending.

They have been depleted by injury but that does not account for such a display.

The absence of injured striker Marcus Haber seemed to have a major impact as his replacement Faissal el Bakhtaoui was unable to hold the ball up and bring team-mates into the game.

Weekend results will determine how damaging this has been for Dundee, whose next game away to Ross County takes on added significance as they look to avoid being dragged into the relegation scrap.

Star men

Every player in red did themselves proud, but Considine and McLean deserve special mention.

McLean stood out all night and it was significant that he was removed after an hour, with some key games coming up for the Pittodrie outfit.

Considine, of course, takes the majority of the headlines thanks to his first hat-trick as a professional.

Individually and collectively, the Dons were sensational.

It seems this Aberdeen team is going from strength to strength, which promises much for the remainder of the season.

Aberdeen's Andy Considine rose highest to break the deadlock at Dens Park
Aberdeen's Andy Considine rose highest to break the deadlock at Dens Park

Line-ups

Dundee

Formation 4-5-1

  • 1Bain
  • 30KerrBooked at 81mins
  • 55Gomis
  • 6O'Dea
  • 3Holt
  • 14O'Hara
  • 18McGowan
  • 7HateleySubstituted forOjamaaat 45'minutes
  • 4Vincent
  • 17RossSubstituted forWightonat 45'minutes
  • 20El Bakhtaoui

Substitutes

  • 11Williams
  • 12Mitchell
  • 22Ojamaa
  • 23Klok
  • 33Wighton
  • 45Higgins

Aberdeen

Formation 3-4-3

  • 1Lewis
  • 15O'Connor
  • 5Taylor
  • 4Considine
  • 2Logan
  • 22Jack
  • 7McLeanSubstituted forChristieat 61'minutes
  • 3Shinnie
  • 10McGinnSubstituted forRossat 77'minutes
  • 11HayesSubstituted forWrightat 69'minutes
  • 9Rooney

Substitutes

  • 8Christie
  • 16Pawlett
  • 25Alexander
  • 26Wright
  • 27Ross
  • 34Anderson
  • 39Storey
Referee:
Alan Muir
Attendance:
7,314

Match Stats

Home TeamDundeeAway TeamAberdeen
Possession
Home44%
Away56%
Shots
Home5
Away18
Shots on Target
Home1
Away9
Corners
Home10
Away7
Fouls
Home8
Away10

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Dundee 0, Aberdeen 7.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Dundee 0, Aberdeen 7.

  3. Post update

    Foul by Anthony O'Connor (Aberdeen).

  4. Post update

    Mark O'Hara (Dundee) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Post update

    Foul by Ryan Christie (Aberdeen).

  6. Post update

    Kevin Gomis (Dundee) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  7. Goal!

    Goal! Dundee 0, Aberdeen 7. Andrew Considine (Aberdeen) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ryan Christie following a set piece situation.

  8. Post update

    Ryan Jack (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  9. Post update

    Foul by James Vincent (Dundee).

  10. Booking

    Cameron Kerr (Dundee) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  11. Post update

    Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  12. Post update

    Foul by Cameron Kerr (Dundee).

  13. Post update

    Corner, Dundee. Conceded by Ash Taylor.

  14. Post update

    Attempt missed. Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Dundee) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.

  15. Post update

    Corner, Dundee. Conceded by Andrew Considine.

  16. Post update

    Corner, Dundee. Conceded by Ryan Jack.

  17. Substitution

    Substitution, Aberdeen. Frank Ross replaces Niall McGinn.

  18. Post update

    Corner, Dundee. Conceded by Andrew Considine.

  19. Goal!

    Goal! Dundee 0, Aberdeen 6. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ryan Christie.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Aberdeen. Scott Wright replaces Jonny Hayes.

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Friday 31st March 2017

As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Celtic29272076185883
2Aberdeen30194760243661
3Rangers2914874233950
4St Johnstone29127103937243
5Hearts291181050371341
6Partick Thistle29810113134-334
7Kilmarnock29711112845-1732
8Dundee3086163248-1630
9Ross County29610133148-1728
10Motherwell2976163357-2427
11Inverness CT29412133353-2024
12Hamilton29412132647-2124
View full Scottish Premiership table

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