Partick Thistle 0 Aberdeen 1

Adam Rooney's controversial penalty handed Aberdeen a 1-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Partick at Firhill. Rooney fired home in the 34th minute after referee Willie Collum had penalised Abdul Osman for handball. The ball did strike the midfielder's arm but it had come only a yard from Mark Reynolds' header following a Jonny Hayes corner and Osman was booked for protesting. Thistle were also upset at the award of the corner after goalkeeper Paul Gallacher had pushed away Cammy Smith's ball back into the box following a half-cleared set-piece. The ball had bounced over the head of an offside David Goodwillie but the officials decided he had not interfered with play. The contentious penalty ensured Aberdeen kept touch with the top four - and moved four points behind leaders Celtic - following a tight encounter. Both sides had lost players for the game - Sean Welsh and Scott Fox were absent for the hosts and Jordan McMillan suspended while Aberdeen had seen Willo Flood and the suspended Shay Logan join their unavailable list following their late defeat by Celtic two weeks earlier. The Dons started brightly and some excellent defending from Dan Seaborne stopped both Ryan Jack and Goodwillie getting an early opener but Thistle soon took control and James Craigen should have done better when he dragged a shot wide from 14 yards. Aberdeen picked up in the second quarter and Gallacher pushed away long-range efforts from Rooney and Niall McGinn before the visitors took the lead when the former Inverness striker drilled his penalty low and hard to Gallacher's left. The League Cup holders finished the half strongly and Gallacher beat away a powerful shot from Andrew Considine before Goodwillie glanced a header wide. The second half proved a scrappy affair with Thistle unable to get round the outside or in behind a resolute Dons side despite their possession. There were almost 28 minutes gone in the second half before the first incident of note and it almost put the game out of sight. Rooney met a Hayes cross and sent a header down towards the bottom corner but Gallacher dived to make a brilliant one-handed stop. The home side did have late opportunities to equalise but still could not test Dons goalkeeper Scott Brown. Stuart Bannigan headed wide from six yards after an excellent cross from substitute Ryan Stevenson and then, with less than five minutes left, Osman headed a m ore difficult chance wide of the far post after Stephen O'Donnell had worked space to cross from the right. Derek McInnes brought on Kieran Gibbons for his Aberdeen debut as his side saw out the closing stages.