Aberdeen 1-0 Hearts

Aberdeen extended their winning run to four matches with a narrow victory over Hearts at Pittodrie.

Lee Miller opened the scoring for the Dons in the 36th minute when he latched on to a Scott Severin free-kick and struck a low shot into the net.

Marius Zaliukas was sent off during a goalmouth tussle and Lee Wallace was also dismissed after the final whistle.

Hearts were largely ineffective for most of the match and failed to find a way through for an equaliser.

Aberdeen made one change to the side which defeated Inverness with Richard Foster starting ahead of Lee Mair, who dropped to the bench, and Stewart replacing Portuguese midfielder Bruno Aguiar for Hearts.

The Dons were forced into an early substitution, with Andrew Considine coming on after four minutes for Charlie Mulgrew, who hobbled off following a challenge by Frenchman Christian Nade.

With just under 10 minutes minutes played, Darren Mackie went one-on-one with Janos Balogh, but struck the ball straight at the Hearts keeper's legs.

Four minutes later, Mackie fired in another effort from close range, but the Hungarian keeper smothered the danger.

Aberdeen continued to pile on the pressure and in the 26th minute Jeffrey De Visscher picked up a loose ball at the edge of the penalty area, but his shot flew inches wide.

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 36th minute when Miller pounced on Severin's free-kick and shrugged off his marker to volley low into the bottom right-hand corner.

After the restart, Hearts pushed for an equaliser but Jamie Langfield was almost a spectator in the Aberdeen goal as he was rarely tested by the Hearts frontline.

Miller struck a free-kick from 16 yards out after Sone Aluko had been felled on the edge of the penalty area by Robbie Neilson, but the ball bounced off the Hearts defensive wall and the danger was cleared.

Nade responded on the break, but mistimed his left-footed shot and sent the ball wide of Langfield's goal.

Miller almost doubled his tally in the 70th minute with a powerful shot from inside the box, but Balogh punched clear for a corner.

Zaliukas was shown a red card for his part in a tussle inside the Aberdeen penalty area ahead of Stewart's corner, and Miller joined the Lithuanian in the referee's book for his involvement.

Darren Mackie appeared to be felled in the penalty area as the match was drawing to a close, but referee Iain Brines waved away claims for a penalty and the Dons held on for the win.

Neilson and Chris Maguire appeared to have been booked after the final whistle amidst angry scenes and it later emerged that Hearts defender Wallace had also been sent off following an incident in the tunnel.

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood: "We had the two best chances of the game and they've not had too many chances.

"It was a strong defensive performance. It had to be - they're a big strong team, they ask you questions and I thought we dealt with them well.

"There was a wee bit of an illness in the dressing room, a lot of coughs and splutters, and I was a bit worried that a lot of the team wouldn't get through it. We did look a bit leggy at times, but it was still a very important victory for us.

"That's four on the trot now and another clean sheet at home. It was great and Pittodrie was packed and back to its old self today, it was like a European game."

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo: "It was a very long day for my team. We tried to play football but Aberdeen tried to play the long ball and they got the goal from the freekick.

"In the first half especially I thought we controlled the game and then after half time we also had some good chances. But after the sending off of Zaliukas when we were playing with ten men it got very difficult.

"Aberdeen have a good run going at the moment and I think that to beat us means that they put in a good performance. We are always dangerous, especially away.

"I don't think we have indiscipline in the squad. If you get red cards, you just have to accept it and miss the next game."

Aberdeen: Langfield, Foster, Diamond, Severin, Mulgrew (Considine 4), De Visscher, McDonald (Mair 90), Kerr, Aluko (Maguire 87), Miller, Mackie. Subs Not Used: Bateman, Young, Hodgkiss, Paton.

Booked: Mackie, Miller, Considine, Severin.

Goals: Miller 36.

Hearts: Balogh, Neilson, Zaliukas, Berra, Lee Wallace, Kingston (Jonsson 78), Karipidis, Palazuelos, Driver, Stewart, Nade (Glen 78). Subs Not Used: Kello, Thomson, McGowan, Templeton, Rapnik.

Sent Off: Zaliukas (73), Wallace (90).

Booked: Berra, Zaliukas, Nade.

Att: 18,021

Ref: I Brines

Taken from the BBC