BBC SPORT | Football | Scot Prem

Livingston 1-2 Aberdeen

Aberdeen won at Livingston for the first time to leave the home side stranded at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Goals from Russell Anderson and Kevin McNaughton gave the Dons maximum points while Davide Xausa brought Livingston level for a brief period.

There were chances galore in an entertaining match full of good enterprising football.

Livingston will feel rather hard done by after contributing much to the game and, with talk of dressing room unrest at the club, things are looking bleak for last season's third place finishers.

For the home side Cherif Toure-Maman was missing through suspension and skipper Stuart Lovell dropped out with a knee injury.

Former Dons striker Eugene Dadi was named in the Livingston attack and Burton O'Brien made his full debut.

Laurent D'Jaffo and Roberto Bisconti failed late fitness tests for the visitors and were replaced by Leon Mike and Patrizio Billio.

Aberdeen got off to a dream start when they took the lead after less than a minute played.

An Eric Deloumeaux corner was met by Anderson who rose unchallenged to bullet a close range header past a helpless Javier Broto.

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Phil McGuire and Eugene Dadi compete
The home side were stunned and nearly lost a second in the fifth minute when Mike split the Livingston defence and found Darren Mackie, but the youngster's angled shot from 10 yards went wide of the target.

Gradually the home side fought their way back into the game and O'Brien flashed a shot over the bar following a goalmouth scramble.

The game settled down into a much more evenly-matched contest with Livingston continuing to push for the equaliser but with the Dons always looking dangerous on the break.

In the 36th minute, as the home side pounded the Dons defence, substitute Xausa drove a shot from the edge of the box just over the crossbar.

Just before half-time Dons midfielder Darren Young cleared a powerful Xausa header off the goal-line.

After only a minute of the restart Livi nearly drew level but Dons goalkeeper Peter Kjaer brought off a great save from an O'Brien shot from the edge of the box.

In the 51st minute Anderson got on the end of a Deloumeaux corner to nearly repeat his first-half feat but the defender was crowded out and the effort went wide.

The home side drew level when Gary Bollan's 56th minute free-kick deep into the Dons box broke off Zarate and as the Aberdeen defenders stood still, Xausa was on hand to slam the ball in from close range.

Aberdeen were spurred back into life after conceding the goal and Mike came close with a shot from the edge of the box which went just wide of the post.

With 72 minutes on the clock McNaughton scored the winning goal for the Dons.

A cross from Mike found Darren Mackie at the back post but is shot was bravely blocked by Broto before falling kindly to the grateful Scottish international who slammed the ball home from 12 yards.

The home side went all out to get the equaliser again but the Dons withstood the heavy pressure to hang on for victory.

Livingston: Broto, Brinquin, Rubio, Andrews, Bollan, Wilson, Quino (McMenamin 86), O'Brien (Camacho 75), Bingham, Dadi (Xausa 25), Zarate.
Subs Not Used: McEwan, Bahoken.

Booked: Dadi, Bingham, Camacho.

Aberdeen: Kjaer, McNaughton, Anderson, McGuire, McAllister, Darren Young, Deloumeaux, Billio (Michie 58), Derek Young, Mike (Fabiano 75), Mackie.
Subs Not Used: Preece, O'Donoghue, Payne.

Booked: Michie.

Attendance: 7,513
Referee: M McCurry