Caley Thistle compounded a miserable week for Aberdeen with a deserved 2-1 victory at Caledonian Stadium, ending the Dons’ 100 per cent start to the league campaign.
First-half goals from Miles Storey and Ryan Christie put Inverness firmly in command, with Ashton Taylor pulling one back for the below-par Reds towards the end of the first-half.
Despite the loss, Aberdeen remain four points ahead of Celtic at the top of the Premiership following the Hoops’ 0-0 draw against Hearts, with Inverness up to eighth.
Graeme Shinnie was unexpectedly passed fit enough to play against his former club, despite suffering an ankle injury during the midweek League Cup defeat against Hibernian. Manager Derek McInnes made three changes from the side that was defeated by the Championship outfit, with Willo Flood ruled out with an ankle injury and forwards Adam Rooney and David Goodwillie dropping to the bench, with Josh Parker drafted in along with Paul Quinn and Jonny Hayes.
Inverness made just one change, an enforced one at that, with left back Carl Tremarco failing to shake off a groin injury he suffered during the 2-0 midweek win against Livingston, being replaced by midfielder Liam Polworth.
Kenny McLean was first to threaten with a long range shot that forced Owain Fon Williams to scramble low to his left to tip wide.
Inverness took the lead on eight minutes though, with a goal of supreme quality. Christie swivelled past former team-mate Shinnie with a deft touch, before releasing on form attacker Storey to nestle a cushioned shot into the corner beyond Ward for his third goal in four games.
The goal filled the hosts with confidence, and they could have added a second when another delicate pass by Christie released Draper, but he was snuffed out by an excellent saving challenge from Quinn.
The hosts began to take real command of the game, with a cushioned shot by Polworth tipped away by Ward at full stretch, but it was only a matter of time before Inverness doubled their lead, and when it came it was spectacular. Christie picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, before unleashing a swerving left-footed effort that dipped past Ward before nestling in the top-right hand corner to give
The Dons grabbed themselves a lifeline just six minutes later however, when Niall McGinn’s inswinging corner found the head of Taylor, who nodded into the far corner to halve the deficit.
However the Dons had goalkeeper Ward to thank for preventing them going 3-1 behind just three minutes before half-time, pulling off a tremendous full stretch save to beat away Christie’s goal-bound header from point-blank range.
Aberdeen’s woes continued with Niall McGinn being forced off injured two minutes before the interval, being replaced by Rooney. McInnes made a further change at the start of the second-half, with Peter Pawlett replacing Paul Quinn in a tactical move.
The Dons searched for an equaliser, but were predominantly limited to efforts from long-range, with Parker sending a shot far off target before McLean had a free-kick blocked by the wall.
Aberdeen were inches away from levelling with another set-piece on 82 minutes, with Pawlett’s strike cracking the outside of the left-hand post, before Danny Devine made a saving clearance off the line from a floated David Goodwillie cross.
The best chance of the second-half fell to substitute Goodwillie though, after being picked out by Pawlett inside the box, however he scuffed his shot wide under pressure from Raven as the Dons’ hopes of a leveller fizzled out.