ABERDEEN 4 DUNDEE 0 Sunday 5 October 2025 William Hill Premiership Pittodrie Attendance: 16,525 Referee: Don Robertson
Three first half goals inside 11 minutes from the Dons saw them to a first league win of the campaign, but it was a win built on a committed, energetic and high quality performance from back to front that had the Pittodrie crowd on their feet.
Following the Shakhtar Donetsk game on Thursday, Jimmy Thelin made five changes to his team, with Alfie Dorrington, Leighton Clarkson, Topi Keskinen, Ante Palaversa and Marko Lazetic all on the bench. Into their places came Graeme Shinnie, Emmanuel Gyamfi, Adil Aouchiche, Alexander Jensen and Kevin Nisbet.
Dundee lost 1-0 at St Mirren last weekend and made two changes to their side, Yan Dhanda and Simon Murray returning in place of Drey Wright and Ashley Hay.
The visitors opened quickly, Congreve firing off a low shot from 25 yards, Dimitar Mitov down to his right to clutch the ball in the third minute. The Dons were straight up the other end with Stuart Armstrong. He picked out Jesper Karlsson, but he miscued his effort across goal. Gyamfi tried to scramble the ball in at the back post, but McCracken was able to gather.
A good ball forward from Jack Milne on six minutes was perfect for the run of Karlsson. He controlled superbly and squared for Nisbet but as he struck the ball under pressure from a defender a dozen yards out, there wasn’t enough on his shot to beat Astley on the line.
The Dons won a flurry of corners just past the quarter hour, and from the third, there were claims for a penalty. Referee Robertson was sent to the monitor and decided Congreve handled the ball. Penalty kick to the Dons and Karlsson stepped up in front of the RDS, as he had against Shakhtar. After 21 minutes and 26 seconds of the seventh league game of the season, Aberdeen finally had a goal, Karlsson drilling it under the goalkeeper.
Astley thumped a snapshot at goal on 25 as the ball dropped invitingly for him from a clearance, but he put it straight down the goalkeeper’s throat.
It was 2-0 less than eight minutes later, Aouchiche with his first goal for Aberdeen. Armstrong pinched the ball in midfield and found Nisbet. He passed across the box to Aouchiche who initially looked to be crowded out, but as he slipped to the floor, the ball rebounded to him. Somehow, from a seated position, he managed to scoop the ball just beyond the grasp of McCracken and inside the post to double the lead.
Another red bus arrived in the 33rd minute, Gyamfi getting his first goal for the club. Armstrong was away down the left and played a gorgeous curling pass into the edge of the six yard box. Running onto it, Gyamfi opened his body up and guided the ball across the face of goal and just inside the far post.
Aberdeen had the ball in the net a fourth time on 37, Nisbet’s header from a Karlsson free-kick brilliantly saved by McCracken, Milne chesting the rebound in, only to be ruled offside.
Armstrong was marauding forward on 43, exchanging passes with Shinnie before seeing his shot from the edge of the box deflected wide of the target. From Karlsson’s corner, Milne’s near post header was into the side netting.
Two minutes into added time, Armstrong came on to a Karlsson lay-off 20 yards out but his drive flashed over the bar.
HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 3 DUNDEE 0
The Dons started the second half positively, Aouchiche taking a Karlsson corner on the volley, his effort whistling over the bar in the opening minute. Aouchiche was booked five minutes later for bundling Graham over.
After a comfortable opening to the half, Aberdeen made their first change on 59, Lazetic replacing Nisbet. Dundee responded by bringing off Westley and Murray for Hay and Acquah after 62 minutes.
A glorious goal extended the Aberdeen lead on 63 minutes. Quick feet from Lazetic 35 yards out took him past two defenders and gave him space to thread the ball into Karlsson. He looked to have taken the ball wide, but surrounded by three defenders, he turned back inside and drilled a shot across the face of goal and into the far side netting for 4-0.
A triple change followed, Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Nicolas Milanovic and Dante Polvara coming on for Shinnie, Armstrong and Aouchiche after 68 minutes. Karlsson made way for Keskinen five minutes later.
Another burst of corners came Aberdeen’s way after 76 minutes, Milanovic’s delivery headed over by Mats Knoester, who headed a Dundee defender at the same time, the centre-half taking a moment to get back to his feet and continue.
Mitov claimed a Dundee corner on 79 and immediately released Keskinen with a long clearance. Keskinen checked inside and tried to shape a shot around the goalkeeper but McCracken was at full stretch to palm his effort away.
Dundee made more changes on 80, Dhanda and Finlay Robertson making way for Reilly and Jones. Acquah had a dig at goal from distance on 85 minutes, but his effort from 25 yards swerved wide of the post. Four minutes later, Digby came on for Hamilton in Dundee’s last switch, as Aberdeen eased to a vital win that finally gets the league season on the march.
ABERDEEN: Mitov, Jensen, Devlin, Knoester, Milne, Gyamfi, Shinnie (Heltne Nilsen 68), Armstrong (Milanovic 68), Aouchiche (Polvara 68), Karlsson (Keskinen 73), Nisbet (Lazetic 59).
Subs not used: Suman, Palaversa, Dorrington, Clarkson.
GOALS: Karlsson (22 (pen), 63), Aouchiche (29), Gyamfi (33)
BOOKED: Aouchiche
DUNDEE: McCracken, Astley, C Robertson, Graham, F Robertson (Jones 80), Hamilton (Digby 89), Dhanda (Reilly 80), Samuels, Congreve, Murray (Acquah 62), Westley (Hay 62).
Subs not used: O’Hara, Donnelly, Wright, Digby, Yogane.
