Pape Habib Gueye was on the double as Aberdeen overcame Motherwell 2-1 to keep up their 100 per cent file within the Scottish Premiership.
The Senegalese gave the Dons the lead with a shocking solo strike within the first half and was readily available to go dwelling his fifth of the season to double the lead with 10 minutes remaining.
The factors seemed safe however a late strike from Motherwell substitute Moses Ebiye led to a nervy ending for the 17,155 inside Pittodrie.
How Aberdeen saved up their profitable run
Jimmy Thelin’s facet have been lacking captain Graeme Shinnie by way of sickness however handed first begins to Croatian midfielder Ante Palaversa and on-loan striker Kevin Nisbet, who netted the winner in opposition to Ross County final day trip.
Having gained their final three, Motherwell named an unchanged beginning XI however survived an early scare as Topi Keskinen’s low cross received caught beneath the physique of Liam Gordon, prompting a VAR test for handball which was not given.
Keskinen was concerned once more as Nisbet held the ball up for him and he in flip performed in Jamie McGrath, who dragged his shot inches vast of the far publish.
Motherwell’s first probability got here as Aberdeen didn’t clear their traces from a Stephen O’Donnell throw however Andy Halliday’s effort from the sting of the field went vast.
Halfway by way of the primary half, tempers threatened to spill over following a tug on McGrath within the midfield, the resultant melee ending in yellow playing cards for Aberdeen’s Sivert Heltne Nilsen and Motherwell pair O’Donnell and Davor Zdravkovski.
The impasse was damaged after 27 minutes – and in some fashion.
Aberdeen broke rapidly on the counter, with Gueye choosing the ball up inside his personal half and bursting away down the left earlier than reducing inside onto his proper foot and firing a low strike simply contained in the left-hand upright.
The house facet continued to poke and prod on the Motherwell defence, although it will be into the second half earlier than they got here shut once more with a Slobodan Rubezic header going vast and left-back Ewan Wilson doing properly to dam a low effort from Keskinen.
Motherwell made a triple change simply earlier than the hour and inside a minute two of the incomers had linked up for what ought to have been an equaliser.
Marvin Kaleta clipped a cross in from the suitable channel and Tony Watt met it on the six-yard line however might solely direct his flying header straight at Dimitar Mitov, who was capable of block.
Debutant Palaversa was spectacular in midfield for the house facet and got here near capping his efficiency with a objective, ‘keeper Aston Oxborough pushing his 25-yard drive vast after a McGrath free-kick.
Motherwell have been coming into the sport as an attacking menace now and Jair Tavares flashed a shot vast earlier than one other effort from the identical participant was blocked.
As they upped the ante, Mitov needed to be alert to carry a 30-yard drive from Liam Gordon however Gueye’s second appeared to place the sport past doubt.
The Dons labored the ball into the field properly and Oxborough will need to have thought he had achieved sufficient when he unfold himself to dam from Nicky Devlin. However slightly than clear the crossbar, the ball remained in play and Gueye adopted in to go dwelling from shut vary.
The sport seemed gained for the house facet however there was a late comfort for Motherwell as Ebiye sneaked in on the again publish to faucet dwelling Watt’s low drive.
They might have snatched an unlikely level in stoppage time as Mitov threw himself throughout the objective to show a robust Gordon header vast of the publish.
