Kilmarnock end 17-game winless run with victory over Aberdeen

Kilmarnock finally ended a horror 17-game winless run with a dominant 3-0 victory against ten-man Aberdeen at Rugby Park.

Two goals in three first-half minutes from captain Brad Lyons and Bruce Anderson had the Ayrshire side coasting before the break, before Tyreece John-Jules added a magnificent third shortly after Dons captain Graeme Shinnie was shown a straight red card.

The win – Neil McCann’s first since taking charge earlier this month – was enough to see Killie move six points clear of bottom club Livingston and to within three of tenth-placed St Mirren in the William Hill Premiership table.

The manager freshened things up following the recent defeat to Motherwell, with Anderson, David Watson and Michael Schjonning-Larsen returning to the lineup.

However, there was no place in the starting XI for new recruits Findlay Curtis, Joe Hugill or Nicky Clenscenco, all of whom had to settle for a place on the bench.

Interim boss Peter Leven made just one change from the Dons side which thrashed Livingston 6-2 last weekend, with Liam Morrison coming in for the suspended Jack Milne to make his first start for the club.

The hosts started on the front foot and should have taken the lead within four minutes.

Keeper Dimitar Mitov failed to deal with a hopeful ball over the top, allowing John-Jules to nick in before cutting it back to Liam Polworth at the back post. The midfielder had all day to pick his spot, but somehow put his first-time effort wide.

Killie’s relentless pressure told on 12 minutes as they nudged in front, with captain Lyons getting the deftest of flicks on a whipped Greg Kiltie cross to send the ball into the bottom corner.

McCann’s men almost immediately doubled their advantage through Anderson, who fired home from 18 yards after collecting a delightful lay-off from John-Jules.

At the other end, Kelle Roos – playing against his former club – got a strong hand on a Stuart Armstrong strike as the visitors finally showed signs of life.

In a worrying moment, Dons defender Mats Knoester was stretchered off after a suffering a nasty landing as a result of an innocuous collision with Anderson.

Aberdeen came close to reducing the deficit on the stroke of half-time, but Robbie Deas was on hand to produce two outstanding blocks in quick succession to deny Topi Keskinen and Kevin Nisbet.

The visitors’ task was made even more difficult just six minutes after the restart, with Shinnie given his marching orders for a dangerous tackle on Kiltie near the halfway line.

Killie made sure of the points on the hour. Anderson was sent sprawling down the right-hand side before getting his head up and picking out John-Jules in the box.

The 24-year-old had plenty to do but adjusted his body brilliantly then curled an unstoppable strike beyond Mitov to take his tally to four for the season.

The Dons huffed and puffed but never looked capable of mounting a comeback.