A dramatic late winner eased the pressure on Aberdeen boss Barry Robson as the battling Dons overcame Hearts 2-1 at Pittodrie.
The heat was on boss Robson and his squad prior to kick-off after a six game winless streak left the Dons second bottom of the Premiership.
That pressure increased when the Dons were a goal down at half-time and staring down the barrel of another damaging defeat.
However they did not buckle.
Whatever boss Robson said to the Reds at the break it worked as they were superb in the second half and secured a deserved victory.
The Reds hit back via Bojan Miovski before Leighton Clarkson fired in a dramatic late winner four minutes into injury time.
It was a huge win for Aberdeen who slashed the gap on Hearts who were third in the table prior to kick-off, to just seven points.
The Dons also have a game in hand on the Tynecastle club.
Aberdeen were booed off the pitch following the 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
They turned those jeers to cheers against Hearts.
There was a sense that even if the Dons had not scored the dramatic late winner they would still have been applauded off the pitch in recognition of the commitment, passion and quality of the second half performance.
Timely victory ahead of cup final
This dramatic late win was the a timely tonic ahead of Aberdeen’s Viaplay Cup final showdown with Rangers at Hampden on Sunday, December 17.
Prior to the Hampden showdown the Dons face their last Europa Conference League Group G game when facing Eintracht Frankfurt at Pittodrie on Thursday.
Eintracht Frankfurt hammered reigning champions Bayern Munich 5-1 at home in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The bid to win a first trophy since 2014 takes complete precedence over a Euro fixture where Aberdeen can no longer qualify for the Europa Conference League knock-out phase.
Regardless of the £435,000 Uefa prize money available for a victory and club coefficient points available it is a dead rubber.
Winning silverware for the first time since the League Cup in 2014 would put a completely different complexion on a season that has so far been frustratingly inconsistent.
A trophy could also, on top of the defeat of Hearts, be the catalyst to ignite the campaign and get the rebuilt Aberdeen squad delivering on their pre-season promise
Aberdeen’s key players should be wrapped in cotton wool and rested for the Euro match with the German Bundesliga giants – in preparation for the final.
There were two changes to the starting XI from Wednesday’s loss to Kilmarnock.
Defender Jack Milne, 20, was handed only his second competitive start for the Dons.
Striker Ester Sokler was also reinstated to the starting-line up with Duk and Angus MacDonald dropping to the bench.
Aberdeen suffer early hammer blow
In a cagey opening played in testing weather conditions with driving wind and rain the first opportunity fell to Hearts in the 15th minute.
Alex Lowry fired in a low 22-yard drive but keeper Kelle Roos was well placed to comfortably collect.
Moments later Aberdeen defender Milne had a vicious 20-yard strike charged down.
Aberdeen fell behind in the 20th minute when Lawrence Shankland broke away from Graeme Shinnie at the back post to meet a corner whipped in by Alex Cochrane.
Former Dons striker Shankland clinically headed home from four yards.
With so much riding on this game it will have been galling for boss Robson to concede the opener from a dead-ball delivery.
Aberdeen had lost all seven league games prior to the Hearts clash in which they have conceded first this season.
Somehow the under pressure Reds had to find a solution to recovering from that setback and engineer a way to turnaround a must-win game.
They succeeded and delivered the win with Clarkson’s dramatic winner deep into injury time to sent Pittodrie into raptures.
The Dons came close in the 34th minute when Jonny Hayes slid a low free-kick from near the left byline to the onrushing, unchecked Clarkson.
The training ground move nearly paid off when Clarkson’s strike flashed inches wide of the far post.
Bojan Miovski fires Aberdeen level
In the 47th minute Shinnie powered down the left flank before crossing to Miovski in the box.
The striker lost his footing on the slippy surface and couldn’t get enough power on his shot which was easily saved by keeper Zander Clark.
Aberdeen then had a powerful long range drive from Richard Jensen pushed behind for a corner.
A deserved leveller came in the 53rd minute when Jamie McGrath broke into the penalty area.
His progress was stopped with the loose ball falling to Miovski who fired a clinical, low shot beyond keeper Clark for his 12th goal of the season.
Aberdeen were in the ascendency and moments later Sokler burst into the box and smashed a drive into the side-netting.
The Dons were dealt a blow in the 76th minute when leading scorer Miovski was forced off after suffering a knock.
Miovski walked off the pitch but Reds boss Robson said he expects the star striker to be OK.
Aberdeen pushed for the winner and in the 85th minute substitute Shayden Morris unleashed a 22-yard drive that forced a save from Clark.
Four minute into injury time Aberdeen grabbed a sensational late winner.
Substitute Duk outpaced Kye Rowles and Craig Halkett on the right and then burst into the penalty area.
Duk squared the ball to Clarkson who fired home from six yards.
Four days earlier Aberdeen had lost to an injury time goal against Kilmarnock.
This time it was the Dons delivering a late, late show.
ABERDEEN (3-5-2): Roos 7; Devlin 7, Gartenmann 7, Jensen 7; Milne 7 (Morris 73), McGrath 8 (MacDonald 90), Clarkson 7, Shinnie 7, Hayes 7; Sokler 7 (Duk 73), Miovski 8 (Polvara 76).
Subs not used: Doohan, Barron, McGarry, Duncan, Rubezic
HEARTS (3-5-2): Clark 6; Kingsley 6, Kent 7, Rowles 7; Vargas 6 (Tagawa 57), Nieuwenhof 6 (Denholm 71), Baningime 6, Sibbock 6 (Halkett 71), Cochrane 6; Lowry 6 (Grant 58), Shankland 7.
Subs not used: Gordon, Oda, Forrest, McKay, Denholm
Referee: Chris Graham
Attendance: 16,064
Man-of-the-match: Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen)
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