KILMARNOCK 3 ABERDEEN 0 Saturday 31 January 2026 William Hill Premiership The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park Attendance: 5,801 Referee: Lloyd Wilson
Aberdeen were well beaten at Rugby Park, never recovering from conceding twice in the first 14 minutes before having to weather a serious looking injury to Mats Knoester and a red card for Graeme Shinnie.
Following the 6-2 thumping of Livingston last week, there was just one enforced change for the Dons, the suspended Jack Milne replaced by Liam Morrison, coming in for his debut. Per Kristian Bratveit was among the subs for the first time in place of Rodrigo Vitols. Kjartan Mar Kjartansson returned to the matchday squad on the bench in place of Adil Aouchiche.
Kilmarnock lost 4-0 at Motherwell last Saturday, and made three changes to their starting XI with Bruce Anderson, David Watson and Michael Larsen replacing Lewis Mayo, Tom Lowery and Marcus Dackers.
Killie were a whisker away from an early lead in the fourth minute. Chasing a ball forward, John-Jules took advantage of hesitation between Morrison and Dimitar Mitov to intercept on the edge of the box. His first touch took him wide but he pulled the ball back across goal, finding Polworth with the goal at his mercy, but he put his shot wide.
Shinnie was in the book on six minutes for a foul on Anderson.
Kevin Nisbet chased after a short Deas back pass in the ninth minute, charging down Roos’ attempted clearance, but the ball bounced away to safety.
It was the home side who threatened again on 11 minutes, Larsen drifting inside from the right before firing off a left footed shot. Mitov had to be smart to get down to his right and push the ball behind. After Mitov punched the corner clear, Killie recycled the ball out on their left. A cross came in from Kiltie, Lyons got up best at the near post, and his glancing header across goal eluded Mitov and nestled in the far corner. It was a goal that had been coming.
A second one came just two minutes later. Thompson was first to a loose ball in midfield and he speared a low ball in to John-Jules just inside the area. He produced a deft first time backheel into the path of Anderson and he drilled a low shot into the net from 20 yards.
The Dons were a fraction away from getting one back on 22, Stuart Armstrong’s hooked effort at goal spilled by Roos. Nisbet was onto the rebound but couldn’t get enough on his shot and the ball was booted clear from inside the six yard box. Aberdeen were finally beginning to settle to the game after that torrid first quarter of an hour.
Physios from both sides immediately rushed out to minister to Mats Knoester in the 27thminute after he took a horrible looking fall on the artificial surface when winning a header, banging both his shoulder and his head. The stretcher was called for to take Knoester off, the medics taking extreme care in getting Knoester onto the trolley, the process taking eight minutes in total, an indication of the severity of the fall. Sivert Heltne Nilsen replaced him in a concussion substitution.
Thompson tried a speculative shot at goal after 39 minutes, an angled. Drive from wide on the left, 25 yards out, Mitov having to concede a corner in saving. Watson was booked on 42 for persistent fouling after shoving Nicky Devlin off the ball.
Heltne Nilsen had to be lively to deny Watson in the third minute of added time, getting a vital block in on a shot after the Killie man had dispossessed Morrison in the box. Morrison was booked three minutes later for a foul on John-Jules.
Nisbet should have had one back in the eighth added minute. Thompson tried to clear a cross but succeeded only in putting the ball at Nisbet’s feet. The shot lacked power and was comfortably cleared, Lyall Cameron running onto it and hammering a shot goalwards, Deas getting in the way to block it.
HALF-TIME: KILMARNOCK 2 ABERDEEN 0
Toyosi Olusanya replaced Kenan Bilalovic at the break.
Things went from bad to worse for Aberdeen on 51 minutes when Shinnie and Kiltie challenged for a bouncing ball on halfway. Both had their feet high, but Kiltie got there a fraction quicker, Shinnie catching the Killie man on the thigh as he followed through. The referee administered a straight red card, a VAR check following. The referee was sent to the monitor, but the decision stood.
Leighton Clarkson replaced Nisbet in the 56th minute. Watson made way for McKenzie two minutes later.
It was 3-0 to Kilmarnock on the hour, all too easy for the hosts. A break down the right allowed Anderson to gallop away from Mitchel Frame. His low cross was into John-Jules around the penalty spot, and he creamed it first time past Mitov, a fine, sweeping finish, but he was given too much space to execute it.
Kiltie came off for Curtis for Kilmarnock in the 63rd minute. Marko Lazetic, Alexander Jensen and Kjartansson entered the fray in place of Keskinen, Frame and Cameron in the 66th minute.
Roos was called into action in the 77th minute, pawing the ball away at the near post from an Armstrong shot as Aberdeen tried to find some kind of way back.
Kilmarnock made a double switch a minute later, Hugill and Thomson sent on for Polworth and Anderson. Thompson was booked for pulling back Olusanya in the 83rdminute. Kjartansson followed him into the book a minute later for checking a Larsen run. It should have been four from the resultant free-kick, the ball lofted into the box. Deas ran onto it at the back post but from eight yards, he managed to fire wide.
Hugill came close in the 87th minute, looking to shape a shot across goal and in, Mitov making a sprawling save to deny him. Killie made their fifth change after that, Dackers replacing John-Jules. Brown was booked for a hack on Olusanya in the 93rd minute, right on the edge of the box. Clarkson’s free-kick did not beat the first man, summing up a poor afternoon for the Dons.
Kilmarnock: Roos, Larsen, Brown, Deas, Thompson, Watson (McKenzie 58), Lyons, Polworth (Hugill 78), Kiltie (Curtis 63), John-Jules (Dackers 88), Anderson (Thomson 78).
Subs not used: Stryjek, Williams, Stanger, Clescenco.
Goals: Lyons (12), Anderson (14), John-Jules (60)
Booked: Watson, Thompson, Brown
Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Knoester (Heltne Nilsen 35), Morrison, Frame (Jensen 66), Shinnie, Cameron (Kjartansson 66), Armstrong, Keskinen (Lazetic 66), Bilalovic (Olusanya 46), Nisbet (Clarkson 56).
Subs not used: Bratveit, Milanovic, Lobban.
Booked: Shinnie, Morrison, Kjartansson
Sent off: Shinnie
