Aberdeen 1-0 Hearts

Dec 28 2008 Ewan Smith Reports

ABERDEEN boss Jimmy Calderwood laid into Hearts bad boy Marius Zaliukas after his side ground out a crucial victory.

The Jambos defender was sent packing in 73 minutes for an elbow on Andrew Considine and Calderwood insisted Zaliukas had it coming.

He was furious when the Lithuanian tried to get Darren Mackie booked earlier in the game by waving an imaginary card at referee Iain Brines.

And Calderwood claimed he would have fined one of his own players if they had resorted to such antics.

His Dons side clinched victory thanks to Lee Miller's first-half strike and Hearts also had Lee Wallace sent off after the game for a bust-up in the tunnel.

But all Calderwood wanted to talk about was Jambos sinner Zaliukas.

He said: "It's funny how things work out. Zaliukas motioned for Darren to be booked and ended up being sent off.

"That kind of attitude has no place in Scottish football and if he had been our player I'd have fined him. I hate players trying to get others into trouble.

"I have criticised Iain Brines a lot in the past but he handled a difficult game superbly well."

Aberdeen are now just a point behind fourth-placed Hearts and goal hero Miller claimed the victory was a giant leap towards more European football.

The Dons delighted their fans last term with a glorious run to the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and are desperate to clinch a place in next season's Europa League.

Miller said: "It was a massive win because Hearts are a good side and have been on a great run.

"We had a sticky patch earlier in the season but now we're challenging for a European spot."

After the lunchtime Old Firm clash this was the game everyone wanted to see in the SPL.

A rampant Hearts side with six wins out of seven against a revamped Dons team that had only lost one in six.

An impressive 18,021 packed into Pittodrie - Aberdeen's biggest crowd of the season - and Santa outfits were all the rage with the home fans.

Jambos supporters travelled north in the knowledge they could be seeing some of their players for the last time.

Several stars - notably Christophe Berra and Andrew Driver - are expected to be sold to balance the books when the transfer window opens on Thursday.

But if this was a farewell party it didn't go according to plan as Aberdeen claimed one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins ever.

Even the early loss of Charlie Mulgrew to injury didn't unhinge Calderwood's men and they could well have been two goals to the good inside 15 minutes had Mackie packed his shooting boots.

The striker's blistering pace twice took him past the Hearts defence but keeper Janos Balogh denied him both times.

Mackie first broke clear on the edge of the box after 10 minutes only for his effort to be parried by the Hungarian. Then, five minutes later, he jinked past Berra and cracked in a shot Balogh smothered at the second attempt.

Hearts were struggling to get to grips with the game and rarely troubled the Dons defence in the first half.

A few mazy Driver runs and a tame long-range effort from Christos Karipidis were all they could offer.

At the other end Balogh was again called into action in 26 minutes as he kept out Jeffrey de Visscher's 18-yard half volley with a great low save.

But Balogh could do little 10 minutes later as Miller swivelled inside the box and drilled a shot into the bottom corner from Scott Severin's free-kick.

It didn't get much better for Hearts after the break and Miller almost grabbed his second in 58 minutes. Considine whipped a superb low cross into the box but the striker just failed to connect.

Miller came even closer in 69 minutes as his powerful 15-yard strike was superbly beaten away by Balogh.

Then all the attention swung to ref Brines as the game exploded into life.

First, Zaliukas walked for apparently elbowing Considine during a set-piece jostle after 73 minutes.

Aberdeen then appealed for a penalty when Mackie appeared to be tripped by Wallace in 83 minutes but the ref waved away their appeals.

Brines would have thought a difficult afternoon was over when he blew the final whistle but he was about to get a lot busier.

Hearts defender Robbie Neilson and Chris Maguire clashed in a tunnel bust-up and the ref handed both players a yellow card. He then marched into the Jambos dressing-room and dished out a red to Wallace.

REF WATCH

IAIN BRINES was never in control and lost the plot when the game exploded into life. Booked nine, red-carded two then turned down what looked like a Dons penalty. Rating: 5/10.

MATCH STATS

Shorts on 6

Shorts off 2

Offside 1

Fouls 15

Corners 3

Bookings 4

Shorts on 1

Shorts off 1

Offside 1

Fouls 10

Corners 6

Bookings 3

Taken from the Sunday Mail