ADAM ROONEY'S 16th league goal of the season earned Aberdeen a win which kept them in touch with leaders Celtic and pulled them further clear of third-placed Hearts at Pittodrie.

It was a far more entertaining match than the scoreline suggested, Aberdeen spurning several chances in both halves while Dundee showed no lack of adventure and Derek McInnes, the home team’s manager, rightly placed his emphasis on the positive elements afterwards.

“We could have scored more, but it was a very strong performance,” he said. “We kept Dundee’s better player quiet for the majority of the game. Their 'keeper made some good saves and a combination of that and our finishing meant the game was won by one goal, but Rooney did what he does best.”

Paul Hartley, his Dundee counterpart concurred, declaring himself satisfied with his team’s performance if not the result.

“I thought it was a good game of football, especially in terms of the condition of the pitch and overall the players’ attitude, togetherness and determination was brilliant playing against a good team,” he reckoned. “Our form over the past four or five weeks has been great.”

The result was very much in line with what might have been expected since, encouraging for them as their form had been, the odds had not favoured the visitors given that they were aiming to win a third league match in succession for the first time since a year past November. Aberdeen, meanwhile, were unbeaten in their last nine league matches and in their last 10 league meetings with Dundee, had lost only two matches at home in the whole of 2015.

After one awkward moment they showed early determination to demonstrate why they boast those records.

The pitch looked like it might be sticky, but instead the ball was zipping across it sufficiently to embarrass the Aberdeen goalkeeper Scott Brown as he came out of his six-yard box to pursue a miscued back pass and found himself chasing it all the way to the corner flag as it seemed to gather pace as he pursued it.

However the condition of the surface did little to inhibit Brown’s team-mates and, aided by Dundee’s inability to clear their lines, they created a string of chances Scott Bain doing well to block an Adam Rooney and two from Ashton Taylor whose keenness to be in the opposition penalty area was an indicator of the collective mindset.

Greg Stewart created a chance for Kane Hemmings at the other end which saw him force a save from Brown, but Aberdeen had been the more threatening and, having found Bain difficult to beat, they pretty much took him out of the equation in registering their opener.

As he surged down the right flank Johnny Hayes’ – whose pace forced both Kevin Holt and Paul McGowan into cynical challenges which brought yellow carded in the first half – had his first attempt to get the ball over blocked. When the ball rebounded to him, though, he identified the perfect angle from the edge of the box and delivered the ball with such pace that Bain could do nothing as the ball sped past him to the waiting Rooney who slid in at the far post to score from point blank range.

After Harkins just failed to capitalise on a Dundee counter-attack play was instantly transferred to the other end where a David Goodwillie effort from wide on the right flashed past Bain’s right post and Taylor had a third clear-cut chance from a corner from the left as he got the run on Darren O’Dea and climbed above his fellow central defender but could not put his header on target.

Dundee retained their appetite to get forward when they could, though, a left-footed Hemmings shot from the edge of the box demonstrating the confidence he possesses at present.

Trailing as the second half got underway, Dundee were forced into a change soon after when Holt was forced from the field after coming off second best in a clash with Shay Logan which brought a yellow card for the Aberdeen player for a high foot. Holt was eventually forced to leave the game with a cut head. Hartley had no complaints, however, saying there had been no malice in the challenge and that he thought Holt would recover in time for his side's cup meeting with Falkirk in midweek.

Aberdeen began the second period as they had the first, full of energy and invention and as the pressure built, making it seem almost inevitable that they would double their advantage, the clearest cut chance presented itself to the perfect man just short of the hour, but unmarked as the ball bounced to him at the far post following Niall McGinn’s cross from the left, Rooney was unable to get over his shot and shinned it over the bar.

It was a dangerous lead of course and they were almost punished for their profligacy when Logan had to react sharply to prevent Nicky Low from getting on to a cross from the right, then gave Taylor a mouthful for showing rather less enthusiasm to assert himself in the same penalty area in which he had previously been so prominent, as he inexplicably ducked under the ball.

Harkins gave the home supporters in the 11,805 crowd a couple of late frights with a long-range shot which stung Brown’s fingers and again when he gathered substitute Rory Loy’s flick on following Stewart’s corner from the right found him at the back post, but with his back to goal he could not find a way to get it on target and the home team had their deserved win.