Aberdeen vs Dundee; Scottish Premiership
Aberdeen vs Dundee. Scottish Premiership.
PittodrieAttendance17,327.
Aberdeen 2-3 Dundee: Ethan Hamilton stunner sees off 10-man Dons
Dundee won 3-2 at Aberdeen to close the gap on their hosts in eighth to a single point; Ethan Hamilton's strike six minutes from time won it for Steven Pressley's side; Liam Morrison's red after 39 minutes allowed Simon Murray to level from the penalty spot
Saturday 21 February 2026 19:44, UK
Ethan Hamilton's stunning strike six minutes from time saw Dundee close the gap on 10-man Aberdeen to a single point as Steven Pressley's side look to pull away from the Scottish Premiership drop zone.
The home side had looked the better of the two teams in the early stages and went in front thanks to Toyosi Olusanya's first Dons goal.
But a red card for Liam Morrison after 39 minutes allowed Simon Murray to level from the penalty spot and gave Dundee a man advantage which they would not waste.
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Joel Cotterill's close-range finish put them in front at the break, only for Kevin Nisbet's free-kick to level the scores before Hamilton scored the winner from 25 yards to move his side six points clear of 11th-placed Kilmarnock.
The Dons started in lively fashion and could have taken the lead in the opening minute as Lyall Cameron charged down a clearance from Dundee goalkeeper Jon McCracken, with Nisbet heading wide of the target.
The home side took a deserved lead after 13 minutes. A neat move down the left saw Topi Keskinen play in Nisbet who saw McCracken palm his shot in the air, and Olusanya was on hand to make sure the ball crossed the line.
Aberdeen had the ball in the net again three minutes later as Nisbet turned home after a Cameron free-kick, but referee Steven McLean ruled the set piece had been taken too quickly.
The game would swing in Dundee's favour after 33 minutes when Murray's nudge on Morrison sent the on-loan defender into Tony Yogane to give the visitors a penalty.
It looked a soft award and was reviewed extensively by VAR before the penalty was confirmed, and Morrison was shown a red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
After six minutes of debate, Murray drilled high to the left over goalkeeper Per Kristian Bratveit who had gone the right way.
The visitors built from there and went ahead on the stroke of half-time. Cameron Congreve was given time to shift on to his left foot and drill through the legs of Bratveit, who recovered to punch the ball off the line but only into the body of Cotterill who gladly took the acclaim.
Aberdeen altered their shape at the break and, while Dundee were able to pick out spaces, it was an even opening to the half.
The visitors began to threaten around the hour mark, with Bratveit unconvincing in dealing with a Yan Dhanda effort, though his save from an offside Murray a minute later was much more assured.
Drey Wright headed wide from close range before Bratveit palmed another Dhanda effort over the bar.
But it would be the Dons who netted next, and in some style. Dhanda's foul on Cameron gave Aberdeen a free-kick 25 yards out, and Nisbet let fly with a stunning effort into the top-left corner.
Dundee responded well and Yogane found himself through on goal, only to be denied by a last-ditch Tom McIntyre challenge.
And they went back ahead when Hamilton moved the ball on to his left foot and unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard strike past a helpless Bratveit.
What the managers said...
Interim Aberdeen boss Peter Leven:
"It was a crazy game. I thought we started really well but we need to punish where we're on top.
"We actually scored a second goal. I saw (referee) Steven (McLean) put the whistle to his mouth, drop it and watch the play before pulling it back so I need to speak to him about that.
"We lost our way a little bit. We started giving away corners and free-kicks and we stopped playing like we had earlier on in the half. Then obviously the red card is criminal from us.
"We've been punished twice with the red card and the penalty. I don't think Liam's done anything wrong. I think the boy's looking for the contact, but I don't know what Liam's supposed to do.
"At a minimum, we should have had a point from that game."
Dundee boss Steven Pressley:
"It is a historic win and it's interesting that we didn't start the game well. The performance in the first 15 minutes was nothing like what we've seen over the last two or three months.
"I think we turned up with the mentality that our football could win us the game, and you need a lot more than that to win at Pittodrie.
"I was delighted with Tony Yogane for the penalty kick, he attacked the final line which is a part of his game he needs to improve, and he did that to win us the penalty.
"You have to give Peter [Leven] and his team great credit. They were very aggressive and we didn't ever gain full control of the game.
"We've come up against 10 men on a couple of occasions and haven't had the outcome that our performances deserved. We've finally convinced ourselves we can beat 10 men.
"I'm proud of the players. I didn't think it was our best performance, but we responded well to the early goal and responded again after it went to 2-2.
"It's credit to the players. They showed enormous personality today."
