VAR equalised and Aberdeen drew 1-1 against St Johnstone in Perth.
Two huge reviews, one in each box, left the Dons staring at a 1-0 deficit to handing them a lead in the space of 10 minutes at McDiarmid Park.
But Bojan Miovski’s penalty wasn’t enough for Barry Robson’s side, as a mistake by Kelle Roos allowed David Keltjens to equalise for the home side.
The sense of frustration on both sides is palpable.
With two wins and two blank sheets in his two games in 2024, it’s no surprise that Robson maintains the same staffing and training staff for the third straight game.
Aberdeen have discovered some consistency and have won their last seven games in all competitions.
Conversely, the Dons faced a Saints side to bounce back from their upset Scottish Cup loss to Airdie at the weekend.
Craig Levinein’s revival has slowed down, as the home side have failed to win any of their last 4 games.
The Perth side also went into this game having scored just once in their last five games so the stage was not set for a classic.
Given that the last seven meetings between those groups at McDiarmid Park have produced a measly total of six goals, this is perhaps not a surprise.
This statistic has a primed audience for what unfolded. In the first half, it was particularly dark.
It started promisingly enough for the visitors but their threat quickly petered out.
A well-crafted free-kick sent Jamie McGrath into the box box, but he couldn’t locate a teammate when his low cross cleared.
Dante Polvara created the first chance of the game when he cut in from right and fired in a powerful left-foot shot which Dimitar Mitov did well to keep out.
St Johnstone struggled to gain a foothold in the early rallies and Dan Phillips fired a low shot from 25 yards.
The biggest threat was from Polvara Aberdeen, although the chances of scoring on both sides were minimal.
Graham Carey was Saint’s best attacking outlet but Kelle Roos was not tested at all.
Forward play in the box is uncommon. When the groups reached the opponent’s penalty area, the vanguard was no longer visible.
Honestly, the half-time whistle was a relief for everyone involved.
Thankfully, we were able to enjoy a lot more entertainment after the break.
The Saints thought they had taken the lead 3 minutes into the second when Carey beat Roos with a fine volley from the edge of the box.
But referee John Beaton asked to take a look at a possible foul and after checking he deemed that Liam Gordon had fouled Jamie McGrath in preparation for Carey’s goal, so a loose kick was awarded.
Roos then made a fine save to deny Diallang Jaiyesimi as the home side pressed to open the scoring.
The Dons responded with a hasty run from captain Graeme Shinnie, but his drive into the box was not matched by his effort as he dutifully fired past Mitov.
The influence of VAR continued when the Dons were awarded a penalty after the hour mark.
A Connor Barron corner was eventually taken out of play for a purpose kick before a check for a possible handball was announced.
However, the footage appeared to show a foul by Gordon on Slobodan Rubezic.
Whatever it was, Beaton pointed to the spot after reviewing the incident and Bojan Miovski stepped up to score his 17th goal of the season.
The lead lasted until the 78th minute as Saints drew level.
He’s a goalkeeper Roos probably wouldn’t like to see back, as he came in looking for a cross but missed completely and David Keltjens was available to head into the empty net.
Aberdeen felt a sense of urgency in the closing stages as they committed their men in search of a winner and replacement Ester Sokler had a chance in stoppage time but headed straight for Mitov.
The Saints managed to win, but substitute Max Kucheriavyi saw his shot hit the post.
St Johnstone (3-5-2) – Mitov 5, McGowan 5, Gordon 5, Keltjens (Olufunwa 90) 5, Considine 6, Sprangler (Kucheriavyi 73) 5, Phillips 5, Smith 6, Robinson 5, Carey 6, Jaiyesimi (Kimpioka 85) 5. Subs not used – Richards, Gallacher, May, Olufunwa, Turner-Cooke, Franczak.
Aberdeen (4-2-3-1) – Roos 6, Devlin 5, Rubezic (MacDonald 90) 6, Gartenmann 6, Mackenzie (Jensen 74) 6, Barron (Sokler 63) 5, Shinnie 6, Polvara (Hayes 63) 6 , Clarkson 5, McGrath 5, Miovski. Substitutes not used: Doohan, Duk, Gueye, Morris, Duncan.
Referee: John Beaton
Attendance: 3,472.
Man of the match: Graham Carey.
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