Match ends, Aberdeen 2, Inverness CT 2.
AberdeenAberdeen2Inverness CTInverness Caledonian Thistle2
Adam Rooney's 14th goal of the season - from the penalty spot in stoppage time - salvaged a point for Aberdeen to go level on points with Celtic.
Liam Polworth and a Greg Tansey penalty either side of the interval had visitors Inverness CT ahead.
Niall McGinn brought the Dons back into it with an opportunist strike in 73 minutes before Rooney's late leveller.
Celtic stay top on goal difference with two games in hand and the Dons will have mixed emotions after the match.
They showed real character to battle back from two goals down to at least keep their unbeaten run going.
Miles Storey should have given the visitors an early lead on the counter attack, but the player on loan from Swindon Town made a hash of it.
He cleverly beat the offside trap to go one-on-one with Danny Ward but shot straight at the Aberdeen goalkeeper to squander a golden chance.
Storey's intelligent running off the ball was the Highlander's best tactic when it came to creating opportunities and he scurried clear again in 23 minutes.
Once again, Ward came out on top in the battle of wits as Liverpool's on loan goalkeeper finger-tipped the striker's acute angled drive round for a corner kick.
Those were rare moments of anxiety for the Dons defence as the home side enjoyed the majority of possession but struggled to get their passing game going in troublesome conditions.
Aberdeen played with the strong wind at their back in first half, but that often left them over-hitting forward passes when on the attack.
Kenny McLean did send a 30-yard free kick skidding wide on the soaking wet surface, while Ash Taylor was well off target from 12 yards with a header from a McGinn corner.
Caley Thistle's most anxious moment in the first half was self inflicted though as Danny Devine threw himself full length to send Shay Logan's cross just wide of his own goal.
Inverness did make the breakthrough four minutes from the break when Ross Draper outmuscled Paul Quinn near the bye-line and Polworth guided in the midfielder's cutback.
Quinn's afternoon did not get any better either as, within two minutes of the second half starting, the defender gave away a needless penalty by barging over Draper.
Tansey took full advantage by sending Ward the wrong way from the spot kick to put the visitors two goals up with Quinn almost immediately replaced with David Goodwillie.
McGinn's 50th goal for the Dons started the fight-back in 73 minutes, taking advantage of a Gary Warren mistake to drive the ball under Owain Fon Williams.
The goalkeeper played on despite suffering a serious head injury that led to him completing the game with his head swathed in bandages, but they could not see the game out collectively.
In the first minute of stoppage time, a Goodwillie shot came off the arm of one of the Inverness defenders in a packed penalty area and referee Willie Collum pointed to the spot.
Rooney sent the keeper the wrong way to salvage a point for Aberdeen to make it eight goals in the last nine games for the Irishman.
Line-ups
Aberdeen
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 19Ward
- 2Logan
- 5Taylor
- 18QuinnSubstituted forGoodwillieat 49'minutes
- 4Considine
- 10McGinn
- 22Jack
- 3Shinnie
- 11Hayes
- 7McLean
- 9Rooney
Substitutes
- 6Reynolds
- 14Smith
- 15Robson
- 16Pawlett
- 17Goodwillie
- 20Brown
- 23Storie
Inverness CT
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 25Fon WilliamsBooked at 90mins
- 2Raven
- 5Warren
- 14Devine
- 3Tremarco
- 16Tansey
- 15Wedderburn
- 20PolworthBooked at 77minsSubstituted forMbuyi-Mutomboat 78'minutes
- 4Vincent
- 8DraperBooked at 83mins
- 39StoreySubstituted forWilliamsat 88'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Esson
- 7Lopez Robles
- 11Roberts
- 18Sho-Silva
- 19Williams
- 28Mbuyi-Mutombo
- Referee:
- William Collum
- Attendance:
- 15,142
Match Stats
Home TeamAberdeenAway TeamInverness CT
- Possession
- Home59%
- Away41%
- Shots
- Home13
- Away5
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away4
- Corners
- Home11
- Away2
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away14
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Aberdeen 2, Inverness CT 2.
Booking
Owain Fon Williams (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
(Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Owain Fon Williams (Inverness CT).
Post update
Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Carl Tremarco.
Goal!
Goal! Aberdeen 2, Inverness CT 2. Adam Rooney (Aberdeen) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
Post update
Penalty conceded by Ross Draper (Inverness CT) with a hand ball in the penalty area.
Substitution
Substitution, Inverness CT. Danny Williams replaces Miles Storey.
Post update
Kenny McLean (Aberdeen) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Post update
Graeme Shinnie (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Gary Warren (Inverness CT).
Post update
Corner, Inverness CT. Conceded by Shaleum Logan.
Booking
Ross Draper (Inverness CT) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Jonny Hayes (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Gary Warren (Inverness CT).
Post update
Gary Warren (Inverness CT) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Adam Rooney (Aberdeen).
Post update
Attempt missed. Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Substitution
Substitution, Inverness CT. Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo replaces Liam Polworth.
