Dundee United, by contrast, were a real-life portrait of relief and jubilation. While Craig Levein's men finally secured their first win of the season, Aberdeen have now secured just one out of 12 points available to them at home this season and, on a day when their side looked like they could have stayed out on the pitch for another 24 hours and still struggled to find the net, the unbearable irony as far as the Pittodrie support were concerned was that it was one of their own strikers who intervened to give United all three points.

The question at half-time was whether Wright, a signing from Darlington, had managed a telling touch in the first 45 minutes. Around 60 seconds after the restart and it became a moot debate. Under no pressure and with team-mates around him and able to clear, he raised an arm to halt the flight of Craig Conway's corner into the box. An act of sheer stupidity.

His manager, Jimmy Calderwood, said he had not addressed the issue with the player as he didn't want to lose the rag but added that the player was claiming to have been the victim of a shove. Regardless, his arm shouldn't have been raised and no-one in the Aberdeen camp was disputing the penalty award.

It was Francisco Sandaza who stepped up to convert it. After a stuttering run, he saw Jamie Langfield dive to his right and dispatched the ball low and emphatically to his left. It was a blow to Aberdeen who had enjoyed greater possession against a wary looking United side. The combination of resolute United defending and some particularly poor crossing and finishing in the home ranks rendered it a costly mistake from Wright.

Aberdeen did try to get back into the game and dominated for long periods, leaving United to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter. Just before half-time Chris Maguire had tested Lukasz Zaluska, but the keeper stopped it and Sean Dillon cleared it as far as Gary McDonald who ballooned it over from fairly close range.

Having taken the lead, United could have added to it but John Daly went for the spectacular in the 52nd minute when the simple may have reaped more reward, his attempted overhead kick failing to find the target. Then, in the 69th minute, United managed to retain the advantage by the skin of their teeth. Charlie Mulgrew swung in a corner and it was substitute Darren Mackie who almost bundled it in but Scott Robertson cleared off the line. There was set piece after set piece for the visitors to defend at that stage but still Aberdeen couldn't find the way through, with the final ball, or shot lacking. In the 81st minute McDonald again failed to keep his shot down, sending another effort soaring over the bar and while Mulgrew at least forced Zaluska to get down and hold his free-kick in injury time, it wasn't enough to get a share of the points.

For United, though, there was finally good news. Adamant that his side have deserved better in matches this term, Levein was "relieved that the anxiousness is over". And that was reflected in the United ranks as the final whistle sounded. Having witnessed Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hamilton celebrate in similar fashion after their victories at Pittodrie this season, Calderwood took that as yet another sign of how big a scalp his team are on their own turf. Last term they enjoyed so much success in their own back yard but now they look vulnerable in front of the home support. And it is a fanbase unwilling to accept that. But rather than rejoice in the fact they now face three away games, Calderwood lamented the delay they now face to get the monkey off their back. He knows that, until they do, the pressure will just keep mounting. But first they have to cut out the silly mistakes and discover their cutting edge.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Lee Wilkie was part of a United defence placed under extreme pressure as Aberdeen racked up set piece after set piece, particularly in the closing stages of the match. But he didn't put a foot wrong.

QUICK FACT

Aberdeen had lost just four of the past 27 games at Pittodrie – three of them this season.

TALKING POINT

United started the season favourites to finish third but were propping up the league, while pressure mounts on Jimmy Calderwood. His team have now taken just one point from their four home games.


Levein one of the boys for the day as first victory secured

CRAIG LEVEIN admitted that he had been willing to try anything to change his side's fortunes as they chased their first win of the season. Shunning his preferred berth in the stand, he donned the tracksuit instead of the suit to aid with the warm-up and was in the dug-out throughout yesterday's match. It paid off with his players securing a win to move off the bottom of the league.

"I'm just trying every-thing," he said. "The way I feel just now I prefer being up in the stand and would like to stay up there for the whole game but when your team are suffering, then I feel I'm better being in there with them so I was out there today throwing balls up for headers in the warm up. I feel it's important that we're all in this together. I worked up a sweat for the first time in 20 years!"

A second-half penalty, netted by Francisco Sandaza, was the only goal of the contest as United gave a solid defensive display and weathered incessant Aberdeen attacks. "I'm thrilled with the win," said Levein. "You saw the way we played. I thought we were very nervous. Last week I thought we played really well and deserved to win and got nothing. This week I don't think either team, in all honesty, deserved to win but I will take all three points."

He confessed it wasn't just the players who had suffered from jitters as they sought to end the winning drought. "I'm anxious and I was trying to keep it from the players and say everything will be fine, carry on and do what we have been doing and it will be OK, but we've not had many breaks at all this season. I'm really pleased with the manner of the victory, not the performance, which was below what we can do but the fact we had to defend what seemed like 20 corners and 20 free-kicks in the last half hour. All credit to them."