Jimmy Thelin and impotent Aberdeen lurch into danger zone amid extraordinary scenes at Dundee United

The old jokes along the lines of ‘I thought they were called Aberdeen Nil’ are re-surfacing again. It is now their worst start to a league season for over quarter of a century. That’s when Ebbe Skovdhal, once described as the gloomiest Dane since Hamlet, was puffing on a cigar while wrestling with the dilemma of how to get Aberdeen scoring again.

Jimmy Thelin is an ever gloomier Swede and with good reason. He has the same problem. Skovdahl’s side finally scored in their seventh league outing in 1999-2000. The current Aberdeen side have now gone five league games without a goal and remain bottom of the Premiership. Their last league goal came at Tannadice – last season. “Sacked in the morning!” sang the Dundee United fans. They’ll not win prizes for originality. However, their impressive team look capable of securing something tangible this season.

United rose to third with this win. Goals either side of half-time from Ivan Dolcek and Bert Esselink had the hosts on easy street.

Stuart Armstrong made the bar shudder with a long range shot with 18 minutes left. However, having trailed 2-0 after just 50 minutes, Aberdeen fans massed in the old Shed end at Tannadice will have expected a more stirring reaction from their side. They let the players know this at the end as the Aberdeen staff, Thelin included, stood applauding them. They were extraordinary scenes.

Dundee United are finding goals a lot easier to come by. And no wonder. Compared to Aberdeen, they are playing with pleasing fluency. Jim Goodwin has struck a rich vein. After scoring three times in their last outing at Easter Road, it’s little wonder Goodwin chose to go with the same team. Thelin, meanwhile, made three changes following Saturday’s 1-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat against Motherwell, including dropping captain Graeme Shinnie for Sivert Nilsen, who also took the armband.

Loan star was forlorn figure

Jesper Karlsson cut a forlorn figure at times out on the wing. Much has been expected of the on-loan Bologna star but he was well marshalled here by the United defence. The Swede could often be seen remonstrating with the referee as he sought greater protection. He was also visibly frustrated with his own teammates, who he felt were starving him of the ball. He exploded into life once in a tame opening half from him and his team – Yevheni Kucherenko saw his long-distance effort coming all the way and beat the ball back out. He had also sent an earlier header wide.

That was about it from an offensive point of view from Aberdeen although Esselink did intervene with a nicely timed tackle as Kevin Nisbet made progress in the box. Otherwise, this was a team looking like what they are – low in confidence.

United might have scored before they did, on several occasions. Zac Sapsford’s cross after he battled past three Aberdeen defenders ought to have been put in by Will Ferry, who was caught on his heels.

Dimitar Mitov tipped a deflected Sapsford effort past the post while an Esselink header from a corner flashed wide. United’s best chance before the opener was after Sapsford had won a battle with Nilsen before sending a fine ball through for Dolcek, who allowed Mitov to save when he probably should have rounded the ‘keeper. Not that it would have counted.

Referee Steven McLean then brought back play to the middle of the park, where, although he had let play run on, he deemed there had been a foul by Sapsford on Nilsen. Baffling.

Not that it mattered. United fans were singing at half-time in any case after Dolcek hit the sweetest of shots past Mitov after the ball sat up kindly for him following an aerial challenge between Mats Knoester and Vicko Sevelj. Moments later the board went up showing two minutes added time. It was, in short, a good time to score. “Going down with the Dundee!” chanted the home fans at their counterparts.

Aberdeen had slightly more attacking intent at the start of the second half, although that’s not saying much. Nicolas Milanovic sent a shot just past the upright but any hope among Aberdeen supporters that the tide was changing was extinguished when Esselink headed in Amar Fatah’s flicked-on corner to put United two up.

Comically, Nilsen seemed sure the goal would be disallowed, and gestured to the United fans to be quiet. Quite why the Aberdeen skipper had such confidence was not clear. It wasn’t chalked off. Aberdeen are now in real trouble.