Last updated on .From the section Football

Aberdeen moved equal on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership with Adam Rooney scoring twice in a hard-fought win over St Johnstone.

It looked as though it would be a comfortable win after Rooney and Peter Pawlett gave them the half-time lead.

David Wotherspoon pulled a goal back for Saints early in the second half before Niall McGinn and Rooney again stretched the visitors' lead.

However, Steven Anderson and Tam Scobbie scored in a late Saints rally.

There was to be no late equaliser as Derek McInnes's side extended their run to 12 league games unbeaten, while Tommy Wright's men have now gone eight matches without a victory.

An injury to Andy Considine in the warm-up led to Mark Reynolds being promoted from the bench prior to kick-off, which meant the Dons started with the same back four that began the midweek win over Celtic.

However, it was the re-jigged Saints defence that was troubled as early as the fifth minute when Cammy Smith's neat pass picked out Shay Logan just inside the box.

The full-back delivered a low cross to the back post, where Rooney pounced to slot home his 11th goal in his past 15 appearances.

St Johnstone almost got a quick equaliser from a well-worked corner that fell to Scobbie at the edge of the area and the defender's left-foot volley bounced back off Scott Brown's left-hand post.

Peter Pawlett (left) added Aberdeen's second goal before half-time in Perth

Liam Craig was booked for hauling down Graeme Shinnie as he ran at the Saints defence after breaking up play in the midfield, but that was not the only punishment for the home side.

The resultant free-kick was taken by Pawlett and he struck it from 26 yards with the aid of what looked like a slight deflection into the corner of the net.

Saints came close just before the interval when Graham Cummins was clean through, but his touch took him wide of goal as well as the goalkeeper and, from an acute angle, his effort crept inches wide of the post.

The home side began the second half in positive fashion and only a goal-line clearance from Shinnie prevented Scobbie, with a right-foot lob, pulling a goal back.

A goal did materialise for Saints after fine footwork on the edge of the area by Steven MacLean, whose reverse pass found Wotherspoon for a composed finished that breathed hope into the home side.

Rooney twice went close before McGinn restored the two-goal lead when Simon Church took advantage of poor defending and set up the substitute for is ninth goal of the season.

The home defence were culpable again as Rooney easily shrugged off a couple of challenges to fire his second of the match.

However, Anderson out-jumped everyone at the back post to head home Craig's corner and, one minute from the end, Scobbie's shot sailed through a ruck of players.