For all the style that has won them plenty of plaudits this season, it was a different kind of performance that earned St Johnstone all three points at Pittodrie today.
Despite having a makeshift defence that included just one centre-half, they showed character, industry and togetherness to claim their first away win of the season.
It was also their first clean sheet of the campaign as Dan Finlayson, partnered in a back three by full-backs Liam Smith and Matty Foulds, protected Josh Fowler’s early goal from the penalty spot.
Aberdeen had all the territory and all the possession but they lacked the guile to create clear-cut chances and never did enough to make their opponents uncomfortable.
Questions will now be asked of their manager, Stephen Robinson, whose side were jeered off at full-time by the home support. His team languish in eighth place, just three points off the bottom.
By contrast, St Johnstone are up to fifth and full of confidence. Their manager, Simo Valakari, took special pleasure from a display that demonstrated his team’s ability to win in different ways.
Striker Josh Fowler scores from the penalty spot to give St Johnstone an early lead at Pittodrie
Midfielder Findlay Marshall shows his frustration as Aberdeen fail to find an equaliser
Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson says his team need to make better decisions in the final third
‘What a shift our players put in,’ he said. ‘I’ve been talking a lot about the need to control games. Yes, we would like to do it and we are at our best when we control the game with the ball. Today, it was not possible and we needed to control the game without the ball. That’s an art as well.’
Aberdeen were short of ideas and didn’t move the ball quickly enough, despite having plenty time to overhaul an early deficit. Just ten minutes had gone when Fowler’s shot cannoned off Jack Milne’s outstretched arm and a VAR check began. After what seemed like an eternity, the penalty was given and Fowler duly converted, albeit with a weak effort.
Thereafter, the game was played almost entirely in St Johnstone’s half, but the home side rarely got in behind them. Before the interval, goalkeeper Toby Steward denied Ayoub Mouloua and Kevin Nisbet. After it, Connor Ronan poked a shot wide and substitute Tony Yogane’s effort was too soft.
And that was as much as Aberdeen could manage on a difficult pitch, which Robinson refused to use as an excuse afterwards.
‘The pitch can be better, but that’s not the reason for today,’ he said. ‘We need to be finishing teams off, making better decisions. What I see in training is that we have that quality. We’ve not been able to convert that. Possession doesn’t win you football matches.’
