Aberdeen reduced Celtic’s lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to four points with an emphatic 3-0 win against Hamilton Accies at Pittodrie.
The damage was done in a pulsating first half for Derek McInnes’ side, who were in control of a one-sided encounter from the first minute to the last.
With Celtic beating Hearts 3-1 on Saturday to move seven points clear at the top of the table the pressure was on Aberdeen to respond at Pittodrie in the Sunday luchtime kick-off.
The Dons were without the injured Adam Rooney and suspended Barry Robson but the players who were on international duty – Kenny McLean, Niall McGinn, Jonny Hayes and Simon Church – all returned unscathed and took their place in the starting line-up.
The quartet went on to have a significant say in the outcome.
Church grabbed the first goal in the fourth minute, heading Hayes’ cross from the right past Michael McGovern and Niall McGinn had the Dons cruising to victory with just quarter of an hour played when dispossessed Ziggy Gordon on the edge of the box before prodding the ball under his Northern Ireland international team-mate McGovern.
The Dons were rampant against an Accies side who were struggling to repel the wave of attacks down the flanks and a deserved third goal came in the 33rd minute when Graeme Shinnie picked out McLean and his first time shot flashed high past McGovern.
The tempo dropped in the second half and Accies finally mustered an effort on the Dons goal but Scott Brown was equal to attacker Oumar Diaby’s looping header, getting his fingertips to the effort to turn it over the crossbar.
But it was still the Dons who made all the running with McGinn seeing another drive saved while Church could have a hat-trick as Aberdeen pushed for a fourth. In the end they had to settle three and Accies left Pittodrie knowing they had gotten off lightly.
