Aberdeen 2 - 0 Livingston

Aberdeen laid the Livi hoodoo firmly to rest in this 4th round Tennents Scottish Cup tie. This was a massive win for the Dons as they progressed to the quarter finals and also finally overcame the psychological barrier of putting one over on the SPL newcomers. An impressive first half performance saw the Dons race into an early 2-0 lead which they never looked like losing. In fact, those first 45 minutes saw one of the most assured and stylish performances from the red shirts for a long time.

Livingston kicked off in front of an expectant Pittodrie, but it was the Dons that took the lead in the 5th minute with the first goal attempt of the game. Guntveit delivered the telling cross from the right and Dadi laid the ball off to Winters who drilled it home from 12 yards. This gave the Dons a massive boost and a minute later a McAllister effort was deflected wide for the first corner of the match. The place kick was swung in and Quino was forced to concede a second corner which saw McGuire drill a shot inches wide.

The game had really burst into life and Winters almost doubled the advantage in the 8th minute. He directed a Bisconti pass goal wards and the ball scraped Culkin?s far post. Livi finally pushed themselves forward and Tosh went close with an 18-yard drive which was deflected wide. The resultant corner saw Fernandez unable to control the ball from a yard out leaving Kjaer to collect comfortably. The Dons were having the better of the play though and in the 12th minute a fierce Derek Young drive was blocked around the groin area by the unfortunate Rubio. Livi had a sniff of goal in the 15th minute when Quino went one on one with Kjaer, but the keeper easily smothered his shot.

The Dons then extended their lead a minute later through Jamie McAllister. McNaughton had waltzed towards the Livingston penalty area before being felled by Rubio on the edge of the box. McAllister stepped up and curled the ball round the wall and past the despairing keeper. Quino collected the first yellow card of the game in the 23rd minute and two minutes later Bisconti looked for a third, but his shot was well wide of the target. The Dons created another half chance in the 34th minute when a Winters cross was cleared and Whyte headed the clearance back towards goal. Culkin collected easily, but faced a stiffer test three minutes later following great play by Aberdeen. Derek Young refused to give ground to Bollan and won the ball wide right. His cross was collected by Winters and laid off to the on rushing Darren Young who drove the ball inches wide of the target. There were late bookings for Rubio and Bollan as the Dons completed an excellent 45 minutes.

Livingston almost grabbed a lifeline in the opening minutes of the second half when a Brinquin cross found substitute Aurellio beyond the Dons back four. He didn?t really get behind his shot and Kjaer was able to smother. Bisconti almost wriggled free in the 53rd minute, but the ball just drifted from him as he tried to shoot. A minute later Bingham had a great opportunity to pull one back when Anderson released him, but the Livi man stumbled as he drove towards goal and Kjaer was able to gather. The visitors were beginning to turn the screw and Rubio went close in the 56th minute when he headed over after Quino had flicked on a corner.

The Dons came storming back however as Winters started to cause Livi problems on the left. A cross in the 58th minute took a bad bounce on the sand and hit Bisconti?s arm as he went to strike. The game erupted in controversy a minute later when Winters delivered a defence splitting pass which Derek Young netted. The referee angered the home crowd when he pulled play back for a late challenge on Winters. Brinquin was booked for the challenge and Tosh followed him into the book on the hour mark.

Mackie replaced Dadi in the 75th minute to try and inject more pace up front. The Dons should have tied the game up in the 78th minute after good passing play set Winters free. Instead of shooting, he attempted to set up Mackie who had strayed into an offside position. A minute later Mackie attempted to lob Culkin from 20 yards, but his effort went well over the bar. Darren Young was unlucky in the 81st minute when Culkin blocked his powerful shot. He collected the rebound and Winters headed his cross wide. A minute later Winters was in acres of space and should have hit the third, but blasted wide instead. Bingham became the sixth Livi player to be booked when he took a late kick at Whyte. He may well have walked for his actions, but Aberdeen players diffused the situation with hand shakes all round.