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Aberdeen move level on points with leaders Celtic

Dons biggest league win of the season

Bottom side Ross County remain six points adrift

Aberdeen moved level with Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic with a comfortable home victory over bottom side Ross County.

Adam Rooney capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Antonio Reguero to put the Dons ahead in the first half.

Peter Pawlett rounded the keeper to double the hosts' lead early in the second period.

Shay Logan and David Goodwillie rounded off Aberdeen's victory with well taken strikes.

Derek Mcinnes's side have taken 29 points from the last 33 available as they keep up the challenge for a first league title in nearly 30 years.

Wins at Hamilton next week then at home to St Mirren would set up a cracking match at Celtic Park on 1 March and on this form that must be possible.

Aberdeen were simply too good for a Ross County team who despite all their problems suffered only a second defeat in the league in their last nine away games.

The stark truth though is the Staggies simply have to beat Motherwell in Dingwall next week if they are to start the long haul to safety with games starting to run out.

The last thing Jim McIntyre's side needed though was for their goalkeeper to concede a truly shocking opening goal.

Reguero will be giving the Sportscene highlights a miss after his terrible blunder handed Aberdeen the lead on 13 minutes.

The Spanish keeper should have dealt comfortably with a long range shot from Jonny Hayes but treated the ball like a slippery bar of soap.

He fumbled in vain to get control of it but Rooney's poaching instincts saw the striker pounce for his eleventh league goal of the season.

Peter Pawlett knocked in his sixth goal of the season after coming off the bench

County did well not to crumble as they threw bodies in the way of everything Aberdeen could muster in the way of chances in a one-sided first half.

But what is really hindering their survival hopes is the lack of a cutting edge up front, with Scott Brown in the home goal untroubled throughout.

The only concern for McInnes during that opening period came when on loan West Brom defender Donervorn Daniels went off injured. Joe Shaughnessy took over for his first involvement since returning from a loan spell of his own at Falkirk.

Pawlett took over from Cammy Smith at half time and within six minutes he had put the result beyond doubt with a classy goal.

Hayes spotted Pawlett's run into the box, picked him out with a great pass and the midfielder took one touch to take the ball round Reguero and another to clip it home from an acute angle.

Logan then marked another impressive performance with a curling left foot shot from the edge of the area that Reguero could only help into the net.

Substitute Goodwillie clipped in his sixth goal of the campaign with five minutes left to give Aberdeen their biggest league win this season.