Aberdeen 2 Dundee 0

Aberdeen preserved their 100 per cent record in the Scottish Premiership as Adam Rooney's double delivered a 2-0 home win over Dundee. A typical Rooney header midway through the second half, and an injury time penalty from the same player, saw off a Dundee side who were distinctly second best. The Dons were on top from the off, but struggled to significantly test Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain during an otherwise dominant first-half performance. Dundee rallied after the interval but they too struggled to test the opposition goalkeeper, and Rooney's goals, added to the late red card Gary Harkins received in conceding the spot-kick, proved a painful lesson. Rooney came into the side for the injured Willo Flood, the only change from Aberdeen's impressive 2-1 win at Motherwell last week. New loan signing Josh Parker, from Red Star Belgrade, began on the bench. Dundee also showed one change from their 2-1 win over St Johnstone, the injured former Aberdeen midfielder Nicky Low replaced by German centre-back Thomas Konrad. That necessitated a change in formation for Paul Hartley's side, and their new system, with three centre-backs, proved hard for them to adapt to. The pressure the home side were to exert was shown as early as the fourth minute when David Goodwillie, partnering Rooney in a Dons front two, headed wide from Graeme Shinnie's deep free-kick. Dundee's Scott Bain was called into action for the first time when Niall McGinn's surprise 20-yard chip dipped menacingly. Bain was alert and pushed the ball over. For all the home side's pressure, it was a rare save for the former Aberdeen goalkeeper, with efforts from Ash Taylor, Kenny McLean and Rooney all passing over the crossbar. Just before the half-hour, a 30-yard drive from Jonny Hayes saw Bain take two attempts to grasp the ball, but again he was not overly troubled by the effort. It was nearly half-time before the Aberdeen goal came under any threat when Konrad's shot, following a partially-cleared corner, was blocked by team-mate Gary Harkins. But the Dens Park side started the second half in promising fashion. The dangerous Greg Stewart set Kane Hemmings away with a lofted pass which had Dan Ward racing from his line to block, and Stewart himself lashed an effort into the side-netting moments later.

Manager Hartley had clearly had strong words for his side at the interval as they looked a side transformed, with Ward called into action again to deny Hemmings again, as the former Rangers man looped a header towards goal. However it would be the home side who would break the deadlock midway through the second half, as Dundee's probing began to die away. Hayes was sent bursting away down the right flank, and he stood up a cross for Rooney to head the ball back across goal and into the corner. With 13 minutes left, Parker made his entrance in place of Goodwillie, and his pace won a free-kick that saw Dundee's Gary Harkins follow team-mate Julen Extabeguren and Aberdeen's Ryan Jack into the book.

Just before that, Stewart had again threatened the Aberdeen goal, another fierce shot from range held by Ward. The Dons could have made the points safe five minutes from time when a neat counter saw them work the ball from left to right, before McGinn laid into the path of Shinnie, who saw his first-time effort beaten away superbly by Bain.

And they did get a second goal three minutes into injury time. Rooney himself won the spot-kick, his strong run being ended illegally by Harkins, who was shown the red card. The striker calmly sent Bain the wrong way from 12 yards to the delight of the home support.