A physically demanding encounter at Inverness would not have been top of Dons manager Derek McInnes’ list the week before a League Cup final but that is exactly what he got in a thrilling encounter at Caledonian Stadium.
There was no downing of the tools here as Aberdeen were made to work for their win, their first victory in five attempts against the Highlanders.
From Gary Warren at the back to Ross Draper in midfield and attacker Lonsana Doumbouya, Inverness boasted a physical presence in all departments.
Doumbouya, in particular, was a major threat to the Aberdeen backline and Anthony O’Connor and Andy Considine had a difficult day against the Inverness forward. He held off the challenge of O’Connor to score the first goal of the game and was a major threat throughout an engrossing 90 minutes.
It was the sort of rugged encounter the Dons have struggled with in the past but the guile of James Maddison and pace of Jonny Hayes were potent weapons in Aberdeen’s armoury as they rallied from going a goal behind.
Maddison was fouled for the free kick which led to his side’s equaliser from Kenny McLean, while Hayes enticed Warren into making a challenge which produced the penalty for Adam Rooney’s goal.
McLean’s long-range shooting was a highlight of an impressive Dons attacking display in the Highlands and McInnes will be hoping his midfield can have the same impact on proceedings at Hampden on Sunday in the League Cup final against Celtic.
The Aberdeen response to losing at Hamilton and Celtic has been strong, with away wins at Partick Thistle and Caley Jags rebuilding any confidence which may have been dented at the end of October.
Maddison and Hayes were tormentors in chief for the Dons on Saturday and, with Inverness leaving spaces to exploit, the duo excelled.
They were supported to great effect by McLean, who capped a fine display by ending any hope of an Inverness comeback by scoring his second of the game and his side’s third in the 89th minute.
While much of the focus will be on Aberdeen’s attacking display, credit should go to the Reds defence which snuffed out the threat of the home side in the second half.
It means the focus can now switch to the cup final in what was a potentially season-defining encounter for Aberdeen.
A second cup final appearance in three seasons represents the sort of consistency McInnes has been craving from his players and, having guided his side to cup glory against Inverness at Parkhead in 2014, he will be hoping to do so again at Hampden. Aberdeen will be underdogs against the league champions but they have players in their ranks who can cause Celtic problems this weekend.
Barring a calamitous collapse, the Hoops will be crowned league champions at the end of the campaign but McInnes believes his side can challenge Brendan Rodgers’ Celts in a one-off encounter and it is clear he has players in his ranks who are capable of doing it.
It is a measure of the depth of squad now at Pittodrie that the Aberdeen manager could leave Niall McGinn, who had been on international duty with Northern Ireland, on the bench where he was seated alongside Ash Taylor, Mark Reynolds and Peter Pawlett to name a few others.
With 22,000 supporters backing them at Hampden, Sunday is the perfect stage for McInnes’ players to show they can upset the odds.