Livingston vs Aberdeen. Scottish Premiership.
Tony Macaroni Arena.
Report as Aberdeen keep hopes alive of finishing third in Scottish Premiership with victory at Livingston courtesy of second-half goals from Callum Hendry and Ryan Hedges; Jay Emmanuel-Thomas pulls back consolation for hosts
Saturday 1 May 2021 20:50, UK
Aberdeen breathed new life into their bid to finish third in the Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Livingston.
Second-half goals from Callum Hendry and substitute Ryan Hedges gave the Dons a commanding lead.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas flashed in a volley for Livingston in the 80th minute to set up a grandstand finish.
But Aberdeen hung on and closed the gap on Hibernian to just three points with two matches remaining in the campaign.
Livingston enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and the Aberdeen defence had to look smart to cut out a Jackson Longridge centre that looked destined for the recalled Matej Poplatnik.
Aberdeen burst to life in the 12th minute. With little else on, Lewis Ferguson swerved in a dipping shot from 30 yards that the troubled Max Stryjek was forced to tip over the crossbar.
From the resulting corner, Niall McGinn's second delivery was met flush on the forehead of Hendry but Stryjek blocked brilliantly at his left-hand post.
Moments later, Livingston were back on the front foot and Aberdeen had stand-in goalkeeper Gary Woods to thank for keeping the scoreline blank.
Nicky Devlin's dangerous long throw was flicked on by defender Jon Guthrie and, with Poplatnik poised to find the net at the back post, Woods got a vital punch on the ball.
Aberdeen then survived appeals for a penalty in the 20th minute as the home side continued to press for the opener.
Ferguson was robbed of possession on the edge of his own box by Scott Pittman. who fed the overlapping Nicky Devlin. However, Emmanuel-Thomas' drilled shot from the full-back's cutback was blocked by a sea of red.
Six minutes before the break, the Lions should have scored.
Connor McLennan, booked moments earlier for a kick out at Craig Sibbald, was short with a pass back but Poplatnik screwed his shot wide of the far post with Woods stranded.
And just seven minutes into the second half, Aberdeen found the breakthrough.
Livingston permitted their visitors too much space on the right and failed to stop McGinn's cross. McLennan's header was somehow deflected onto the crossbar by Stryjek but Hendry was first to the ricochet to bundle in from close range.
The Dons doubled their lead and looked to have sealed victory in the 74th minute.
Flo Kamberi raced clear on the left and his pinpoint cross was perfect for Hedges, who swept a brilliant left-foot shot into the far corner of the net to mark his return from three months out through injury.
However, Livingston threatened a comeback with a stunning counter 10 minutes from time.
Substitute Jaze Kabia angled a sensational diagonal cross into the box from the left and Emmanuel-Thomas spiralled a magnificent volley into the opposite corner of the net.
With just a minute left, Livi howled for a penalty when they claimed the ball struck the arm of Jack McKenzie in the box but referee Grant Irvine waved away the appeals.
Livingston boss David Martindale: "We can't expect to give the opponent two goals of a start and take something from the game.
"We dominated large spells of the game but it was two poor goals from our point of view. Really poor, especially when it's something we work on to stop.
"But we came back into the game and scored a fantastic goal. We had another couple of chances that we should do better with.
"I need to watch what I'm saying. There was a blatant handball and there were three officials who were in very good positions to see it.
"The reaction of the players usually tells you as well. There were some big decisions in the game that went against us. There was more than one penalty that we should have got."
Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass: "We've kept it alive. We knew the score from Easter Road at half-time, so it gave us a carrot to dangle in front of the players - can we set up a massive game next Wednesday?
"We know what we need to do, we know what we want to set up for the final day of the season.
"I'm just delighted for the players, they got the reward for their work rate today, and a bounce back from what happened last weekend.
"The group knew what the performance was last week, we knew what it meant.
"We knew the opportunity missed.
"But we couldn't do anything about it, all we could do was focus on this game and we did that.
"I knew from training the reaction that was coming.
"And to be honest I have not been able to ask any more of the players since I came in, even with a poor performance against Dundee United.
"It wasn't to do with a lack of effort, to me it was to do with other things we talked about after the game as a group.
"Looking forward I am delighted with what is here."
Livingston take on champions Rangers at the Tony Macaroni Arena, with the Scottish Premiership match kicking off at 6pm on Wednesday May 12.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen face Hibernian at Pittodrie in the league on May 12, with the top-flight clash getting under way at 7.45pm.
