Aberdeen and 10-man Kilmarnock battled out a tetchy 0-0 Premiership draw at Pittodrie as both sides brought their losing streaks to an end.
Quality chances were at a premium with Aberdeen’s Tony Yogane hitting the inside of the post in the first half but Dons goalkeeper Marius Muller was the busier goalkeeper throughout.
Aaron Tshibola saw red for the visitors for a second booking with eight minutes remaining but Aberdeen were unable to capitalise on the extra man.
In the first of a double-header between the sides, they meet again at Rugby Park in the Premier Sports Cup next weekend, both were looking to arrest poor league form.
Aberdeen had not scored in their previous three league games, having only taken points from their opening day win over Hearts at Pittodrie.
Killie had lost all four of their Premiership matches so far, and were keen to avoid becoming the first side to lose their first five of the season – the last having been current Killie boss Neil McCann’s Dundee side in 2018.
Both managers made changes, with Aberdeen making four after the defeat at Celtic in midweek, and McCall swapping three after the loss to St Mirren.
The home side showed some smart early initiative as Stuart Armstrong and Kevin Nisbet combined to create an opening after just two minutes, but Armstrong opted for an extra pass and the chance was gone.
Killie captain Greg Kiltie flashed wide of the left-hand upright from 20 yards, before, midway through the first half, Aberdeen’s Nesta Guinness-Walker threw himself in front of a Jamie Brandon effort after Mitchy Ntelo gave away possession cheaply in midfield.
Aberdeen moved Lewis Smith infield and he flashed an effort over the bar, before Yogane curled an effort off the inside of the far post after cutting inside from a Smith pass.
Muller pushed another Kiltie effort past the far post and Aberdeen’s Dan Happe saw a header held by Max Stryjek as the first half drew to a close.
The home side made a triple change at the interval, switching to a 3-4-1-2 formation, and soon after sub Toyosi Olusanya just failed to connect with a ball across goal which was put wide by Smith at the back post.
That sparked a period of pressure that saw an Ayoub Mouloua header held by Stryjek, after McCann had been booked following a VAR review of a potential handball in the Killie box.
Armstrong saw an effort from distance held, before Muller pushed a Cathal McCarthy header over and then impressively denied Kiltie from point-blank range.
Referee John Beaton shows Kilmarnock’s Aaron Tshibola a red card
Tshibola was denied by the masked Muller, the goalkeeper diving high to his left to push a 25-yard free-kick over.
Ten minutes from time, good hold-up play from Mouloua created an opening for Chris Cadden, his effort blocked by a sliding challenge from George Stanger.
Killie were reduced to 10 men when Tshibola was dismissed for a challenge on Mats Knoester, having been booked for a first-half foul on Smith.
What the managers said…
Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson
“It was a tired performance. We looked jaded after the two games through the week – that was always the fear. We tried to freshen things up, but it was a performance that lacked energy.
“We got a reaction at half-time with the changes, but we lacked the finishing touch and the quality needed. We got what we deserved.
“I didn’t think we were going to get any more energy out of the team if we didn’t make changes. We got more energy, but whether we got more quality is questionable.
“I don’t think we deserved it today. A draw was probably a fair result, but at home we have to expect better.”
Kilmarnock boss Neil McCann
“We should have won. We were definitely the best team today. We leave with a point and we’re proud of that point, but we probably deserved three.
“Coming away to a team like Aberdeen on our travels, we can’t be disgruntled with a point. The most pleasing thing is that when big questions are asked of you, you can answer them back positively.
“Today we showed that we’re brave. We gave a glimpse of a wee bit of what we’re capable of. It’s going to take more time. There’s new players coming in who have to understand what we demand.
“We’ve had a great week this week, and I think there’s a wee bit of determination that they want to start showing that they’re better than what they’ve served up in terms of points.”
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