Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes was delighted to see his side build on their Betfred Cup semi-final win, admitting he felt the 3-0 Scottish Premiership win over Hamilton could have been more complicated.
Skipper Graeme Shinnie opened the scoring after just eight minutes, with on-loan Manchester United striker James Wilson adding a stunning second from 25 yards.
Mikey Devlin netted the third from even further out, but was aided by Gary Woods’ weak attempt to save before Accies skipper Dougie Imrie was sent off late on.
McInnes said: “There was a lot of physical exertion at the weekend and we had to get the players up to go again. We know the importance of getting the league form going.
“Hamilton set up to counter-attack, and they did so pretty well in the first half. We had moments of sloppiness but also moments of quality.
“It’s sometimes difficult to get the balance right, but we got a well-worked opener, and the second goal from James Wilson is as good as we’ve seen this season. And then you know you’re having a good night when Mikey Devlin scores from 30 yards.
“Hamilton play as though they’re 1-0 down all the time, even when it goes to two or three. They always believe and keep going, so they kept us on our toes.”
McInnes is now looking for his side to put together a run of victories adding: “Wins are harder to come by this season – the league is stronger. Any run you can get will be much sought after, and we’ve been good at getting two or three of those runs in a season.
“We’re going to have to work hard to maintain that, and Kilmarnock on Sunday will be another challenge.”
A corner from the left wing by Scott Wright brought about the opener as he picked out Shinnie who was under no pressure as he got the ball out between his feet and sent a left foot effort inside the right-hand post.
Aberdeen gave themselves breathing space midway through the first half. Wright was again involved, laying the ball into the feet of Wilson, who turned 25 yards out and sent a stunning strike into the top left corner.
Devlin made it 3-0 when fired a 30-yard shot that Woods should have saved but succeeded only in pushing into his own net.
The Accies’ evening got worse as Imrie picked up a second yellow card for fouling Shinnie in injury time, becoming the second Accies player to see red in as many games.
Hamilton boss Martin Canning was disappointed with the goals his side conceded, although he praised Wilson’s effort.
He said: “It was a bad night. The first goal is a shot from distance. The second was one of the best goals I’ve seen live, and the third came from a mistake. All of them were from distance.
“When you come to places like this you’re going to need not to give away the ball, you’re giving away territory.
“You’ve got to sit in your shape and when you get your chance to counter you have to score. We had three or four good opportunities, and the quality at the top end just wasn’t enough tonight.”
On the late red card for captain Imrie, he added: “He’s apologised. I thought he did very well in the game but he’s so competitive he wants to win every ball but you’ve got to let the player go. It’s a bad decision and losing him is a blow.”
