MX23RW : Monday, June 1 13:11:48| >> :120:11327:11327:
Mar 4, 2020 at 7.45pm UK at Rugby Park
Attendance: 4,217
Kilmarnock
2-2
Aberdeen
Brophy (17' pen.), Kiltie (23')
FT(HT: 2-1)
McGinn (38'), McLennan (50')

McInnes: 'Referee was too quick to award penalty against us'

McInnes: 'Referee was too quick to award penalty against us'
© Reuters
But boss unimpressed by penalty award for hosts in 2-2 Rugby Park clash.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes applauded his side for overcoming what he believes was a harsh penalty award and battling back to draw 2-2 at Kilmarnock.

The Dons trailed Killie 2-0 in the Ladbrokes Premiership but stormed back to clinch a point and extend their unbeaten run at Rugby Park to 17 matches. Their last defeat at Kilmarnock's home patch was in December 2011.

Kilmarnock opened the scoring through an Eamonn Brophy penalty after Ash Taylor was penalised by Alan Newlands for handball but McInnes was adamant the referee got the decision wrong.

Greg Kiltie doubled Killie's advantage midway through the first half but Niall McGinn pulled a goal back before half-time and Connor McLennan grabbed the equaliser five minutes into the second half.

McInnes said: "Any time you're 2-0 down and you get a point you have to be grateful for it.

"I know there were spells when we got the second goal that we could go on and win it but territorially Kilmarnock had the better of the last 20 minutes and responded well.

"The penalty against us isn't a penalty. I've seen it again and it hit Ash on the side of the back. The referee was too quick to give it.

"There was a sense of injustice there but I was raging at the second goal because we should've dealt with that so much better by denying the space.

"It left us with a mountain to climb. McGinn's goal was a shot in the arm and it was then a brilliant equaliser, which was no more than we deserved.

"It says a lot about our resilience to come back from two goals down.

"At two goals down away from home, a lot of teams could go under in that position. But I always feel my team are competitive."

Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer was frustrated at seeing his side squander a two-goal lead.

Dyer said: "That was two points dropped.

"We were in control of the game and winning comfortably but we let them back into the game before half-time and then they started the second half well.

"Once it got to 2-2, though, we were fine again and played some good stuff.  I'm just annoyed we didn't go on to win it when we should have done.

"We should have done better defensively, though, in terms of man-marking and just stopping crosses from coming in.

"The players are old enough to have learned that by now and we should have killed them off."

ID:391857:

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Scotland assistant manager Alex Dyer pictured in September 2019
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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CCeltic30262289197080
2RangersRangers29214464194567
3Motherwell30144124138346
4Aberdeen3012994036445
5Livingston30109114139239
6Hibernian30910114249-737
7St Johnstone2981292846-1836
8Kilmarnock3096153141-1033
9St Mirren3078152441-1729
10Ross County3078152960-3129
11Hamilton AcademicalHamilton3069153050-2027
RHearts30411153152-2123

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