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Rooney fires Aberdeen ahead on 36 minutes

Dons denied a penalty before the break

Dundee level through Stephen McGinn

Aberdeen missed an opportunity to draw level on points with Premiership leaders Celtic as they allowed a lead to slip at Dens Park.

Adam Rooney shot the visitors ahead on 36 minutes and Dundee were lucky not to concede a penalty when Willie Dyer handled a Niall McGinn shot.

A Ryan Jack error allowed Alex Harris to cross for Stephen McGinn to flick in the equaliser after the break.

Celtic can now stretch their lead to five points with a win later today.

Aberdeen maintained enough possession of the ball to be the more prominent side. Their full-backs tended to be involved as attacking outlets, while Jack and Willo Flood provided a solid base in the centre of midfield.

There was still room for wariness, though. The lack of a cutting edge would have troubled manager Derek McInnes, since the game seemed to drift along with little incident.

When there was a surge of anticipation, it came when Jamie Langfield rushed from his goal and knocked over Paul McGowan after the Dundee forward had nudged the ball forward with his head.

Dundee appealed for a penalty kick, but the judgement didn't fall in their favour. The sense of misfortune continued, since the home side were complicit in conceding the opening goal.

There was enough warning when Andrew Driver collected the ball in midfield and carried it towards the penalty area, but Dundee's defending was sluggish.

Aberdeen striker Adam Rooney knocked in his 15th league goal of the season

Driver eventually slipped a pass through to Adam Rooney, who was played several yards onside by the Dundee full-back Willie Dyer. With typically ruthless instincts, Rooney lashed the ball high into the net.

Dyer might have momentarily lost his focus and was fortunate not to concede penalty moments later, when he blocked a McGinn shot with his arm. The full-back would have argued that it was unintentional, but he turned his back on the effort while raising his arm in the air.

Aberdeen remained the more progressive side after the interval, but the missing link was prolific finishing. They ought to have extended their lead when the stooping Rooney met Shay Logan's cross, but there wasn't enough power on the header and the goalkeeper Scott Bain pushed the ball away from close range.

Dundee were only intermittently threatening. They fashioned a half chance when the ball dropped to David Clarkson inside the area, and the striker showed impressive technique to meet it on the volley as it dropped over his shoulder, but the ball flew across the face of goal.

The home side were not alone in being capable of ruinous errors, though. Jack should have cleared the ball or let it run from play near his own corner flag, but instead kept it in play with a back heel. That merely sent the ball to Harris, and his cross was crisply converted at the near post by McGinn.

An air of impatience shaped the final moments of the game, and neither side could find the composure or the clarity of play to deliver a decisive intervention.