Dundee United moved as much as third within the Scottish Premiership and heaped main strain on Aberdeen supervisor Jimmy Thelin with a 2-0 win over the Dons at Tannadice.
Targets both facet of half-time from Ivan Dolcek and Bert Esselink left Aberdeen rooted to the underside of the desk with no aim in 5 matches.
Thelin had demanded his facet carry out the basics of soccer higher after Saturday’s League Cup defeat by Motherwell however they had been finally undone by two aerial balls and will have conceded extra as United moved above Hibernian within the desk.
Ivan Dolcek put Dundee United forward at Tannadice Park
Stuart Armstrong hit the bar for the guests and Jesper Karlsson pressured two saves however there was no sustained menace from Thelin’s facet as they suffered a sixth defeat in 9 matches this season.
Aberdeen have now received simply 5 of their final 32 league video games and Thelin may nicely have run out of credit score with the Dons board following the membership’s Scottish Cup triumph in Might. The United followers definitely thought in order they chanted “sacked within the morning”.
Aberdeen have made their worst begin to a season in 26 years
The Aberdeen followers stuffed the ‘Shed’ finish at Tannadice and gave their group main backing for the primary half whereas latching on to transient indicators of a resurgence within the second interval.
However some followers vented their anger after the break and the Aberdeen board will doubtless be heading into disaster talks forward of Saturday’s journey to Motherwell.
Thelin made three adjustments in midfield with captain Graeme Shinnie amongst these dropping to the bench however United began on the entrance foot and Will Ferry was near changing Zac Sapsford’s pushed ball throughout the face of aim.
Karlsson despatched a free header extensive and compelled a save however a lot of the first-half strain was on the different finish. Dimitar Mitov saved nicely from Sapsford’s deflected effort and Esselink headed extensive from a nook.
Mitov saved a one-on-one from Dolcek after Sapsford did brilliantly to set his strike accomplice up on the break, though the Australian was handed a yellow card and penalised for a foul on Sivert Nilsen after referee Steven McLean delayed his determination.
The opener got here within the forty fifth minute as Dolcek fired his fifth aim of the Premiership season into the underside nook from 18 yards after a header fell into his path.
Dolcek has scored 5 objectives in 5 league video games since becoming a member of in the summertime
Nicolas Milanovic curled extensive as Aberdeen tried to struggle again within the second half however they had been two down inside 5 minutes when the unmarked Esselink headed dwelling from six yards after Vicko Sevelj had flicked on a nook.
The sport threatened to spiral additional out of Aberdeen’s attain. Mitov parried nicely from Dolcek, Krisztian Keresztes fired into the facet web from 20 yards, a number of blocks prevented United from hitting the goal in a spell of sustained strain and Sevelj shot simply extensive from lengthy vary.
There have been indicators of a rally as Armstrong hit the crossbar from 25 yards and Yevhenii Kucherenko denied Karlsson along with his ft from the rebound.
However Aberdeen couldn’t significantly threaten to interrupt their Premiership duck once more and Thelin and his gamers stood and surveyed the scene of a half-empty away stand largely displaying their anger after the ultimate whistle.
Thelin: We have now nothing to lose
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin speaks about his future on the membership following their 2-0 defeat at Dundee Utd
Following the defeat, Thelin claimed they can’t hunch any decrease and informed his gamers they now have “nothing to lose” after they journey to Motherwell on Saturday, seven days after being knocked out of the Premier Sports activities Cup by the Steelmen.
After dealing with the anger of the visiting followers after the sport, Thelin stated: “We really feel the identical, we really feel anger, we really feel frustration. However the one method to repair that is to step up and do a lot, a lot, significantly better on Saturday.
“You’ll be able to’t conceal. In direction of the tip some gamers had been stepping out and displaying extra. We begin creating extra however at first we had been fairly stiff as a group.
“You see Stuart Armstrong, he performs with expertise, he desires the ball. When he misses a go he takes the ball once more and finds his composure as a participant.
“On Saturday we have now nothing to lose, we have now all the pieces to win and we have now to have this sense as a group. As a result of proper now we’re taking part in a little bit bit too stiff due to the strain round us.
“Now we’re final within the desk, we have now one level, zero objectives, so you don’t have anything to lose. You need to step out on the pitch and play a lot, rather more with out this rigidity.
“The followers, we do not dwell as much as expectations proper now, so we’re already there, all-time low. The one factor we will do is do higher, so we will not go deeper now, we have now to go higher and that is why you possibly can hopefully get this rigidity out out of your physique.”
On the followers’ response, he added: “Once you see the feelings, you see the anger, you see the frustration, after all it hurts you.
“However the one factor to offer one thing again is to do a greater efficiency. As a supervisor and as a group, our job is to place a smile on the faces of the followers.”
Goodwin praises ‘nice resilience’
Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United are as much as third within the Scottish Premiership
United supervisor Jim Goodwin confronted that very same anger two and a half years in the past earlier than being sacked by the Dons and he admitted he had feared his former membership’s fortunes would flip at Tannadice.
“I do know what the person goes via and I sympathise with any supervisor in that scenario,” he stated.
“We had been all speaking about Hibs and David Grey final 12 months after they had been backside. David discovered a method to get a tune out of the group.
“Aberdeen have invested nicely, they spent a fortune in the summertime, and that is why I used to be a wee bit nervous coming into this sport as a result of the run cannot proceed with the standard they’ve.
“We had been on a little bit of a hiding to nothing however I am positive Jimmy will respect my concern is not Aberdeen.”
Goodwin, whose facet moved as much as third, added: “Consistency within the 11 was essential however this was most likely essentially the most comfy we have felt for a lot of weeks.
“The final 10 minutes we get deeper and nervy naturally, Aberdeen threw each attacking possibility at us, however the guys confirmed nice resilience.”
