An injury-time winner from Leighton Clarkson settled an entertaining cinch Premiership battle 2-1 in the favour of Aberdeen and eased the pressure on manager Barry Robson as they overcame Hearts.
Hearts had started the brighter of the two and took the lead through Lawrence Shankland, but Bojan Miovski levelled matters early in the second half and Clarkson struck two minutes into injury time to give his side the points
The opening stages were largely played in the Aberdeen half, as their visitors sought to capitalise on the pressure that has descended on Robson’s side who were without a win in the previous six matches.
That said, it was almost the quarter-hour mark before Kelle Roos was forced into a save, getting down low to his left to hold Alex Lowry’s 20-yard shot.
But Hearts deservedly opened the scoring on the 20th minute, former Don Shankland inevitably evading the attentions of Graeme Shinnie to send a close-range diving header into the net from an Alex Cochrane corner.
The goal seemed to awaken Aberdeen and they had their first sight of goal when Jonny Hayes rolled a free-kick on the right to the onrushing Clarkson on the edge of the area. His shot bobbled wide of the left-hand upright, while Shinnie shot wide of the opposite post as the first half drew to a close.
And the Dons continued to improve after the interval, with Richard Jensen seeming intent on single-handed lay driving his team forward. Indeed, the big Finn unleashed a shot from distance after 52 minutes, that had Zander Clark flying across goal to claw away.
And a minute later, Aberdeen were level. Jamie McGrath played a big part in the build up as the Dons worked their way through the Hearts defence before Miovski applied the finishing touch from close range.
They could have been in front on the hour as Ester Sokler worked an opening on the right, but his angled drive found only the side netting.
Three minutes later, midfielder Beni Baningime was booked for a foul on Shinnie, which sparked a conflagration in the midfield, VAR ruling that the challenge was not worthy of a red card, with Miovski and Frankie Kent booked for their part in the afters.
A slew of substitutions broke up the flow of the play, but one of the subs, Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes drew a save from Clark with a low drive.
And the Cape Verde international turned provider with a neat pass to Clarkson, who turned home from six yards to complete the turnaround a significantly lighten the mood around Pittodrie.
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'
Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury.
White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term.
After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.
It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign.
Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team.
"It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.
"We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.
"He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."
Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."
It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".
There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday.
After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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