Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes pleased with a near perfect performance
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes hailed a near perfect performance from his team following their 4-0 victory at Rugby Park.
Adam Rooney scored twice and both Andrew Considine and Ash Taylor converted James Maddison corners as the Dons secured their 11th consecutive victory over Kilmarnock.
The Dons needed a controversial penalty decision from Willie Collum to lead at half-time but they had started the match with real purpose and Jamie MacDonald made several good first-half saves.
And they took complete control after the break with Rooney passing up two good chances just before he slotted home their fourth goal in the 72nd minute.
McInnes said: The pitch being a bit narrower, shorter and drier, you have to fight and work hard to get space to operate. Kilmarnock are a very competitive team, they had only lost to Celtic in the past four games, so we knew we had to get on top of them.
Your focus will probably be on some of the movement and brilliant goals, but I thought our tenacity to get after them from the first whistle, play the conditions and get them turned and work hard to get space to get Maddison and Niall McGinn on the ball, overlapping full-backs, (Graeme) Shinnie and (Kenny) McLean up on the game, centre-halves dominating... I thought it was almost a perfect performance.''
Rooney gave Aberdeen the lead after MacDonald had been penalised for pulling down Maddison, although the on-loan Norwich midfielder initially collided with the grounded Killie goalkeeper, who looked dazed before being sent the wrong way from the spot.
Killie boss Lee Clark bemoaned the decision but admitted his team had been well beaten in the end.
Clark said: What's the point in having a go? I will only lose a few quid. It was a strange one, that's all I'll say. I've seen the footage back as well. A strange decision to say the least.
First goals are always important. Whether it's changed the game, in the fashion that it ended up, I don't particularly believe so.
Second half we never performed at all. I take full responsibility for that.''
Killie have now lost 10 goals in two matches and Clark has plenty to ponder during the international break.
It's been men against boys in the last two games,'' he said.I thought we could bounce back from the Celtic game and I thought we could give a more spirited performance.
I thought we did first half, I thought we went toe-to-toe with Aberdeen. I know they started brightly but we have created chances ourselves.
But it became too easy in the end for Aberdeen. We are very, very disappointed.''