Aberdeen remain unbeaten after 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock

The Dons started in rip-roaring fashion and were well worthy of Stevie May's 10th-minute opener.

But they dropped off the pace of the game in astonishing fashion, and it was no surprise when Jordan Jones lashed home the leveller early in the second half.

Aberdeen were relentless in pressing their opponents early in the game, and Kilmarnock had barely had a touch when the scoring was opened.

They worked an opening on the left flank and captain Graeme Shinnie drove in a low cross which evaded everyone at the near post but did find May at the back post, and he made no mistake from 10 yards.

The visitors were forced into a change midway through the first half, with Iain Wilson failing to shake off the effects of a Scott Wright challenge which saw the young Aberdeen winger enter referee Stephen Finnie's notebook.

It was another four minutes before Killie had their first attempt at goal, right-back Stephen O'Donnell flashing a header wide from a Jones corner.

That sparked a period where the visitors came back into the game, with the unlikely figure of May chipping in with a well-timed block to deny Lee Erwin who looked like testing Joe Lewis.

The goalkeeper was called into action when Rory McKenzie fashioned an opportunity just inside the 18-yard area, sending a snap-shot toward the top corner, only for Lewis to turn it around the post.

And the visitors were level three minutes after the restart. Again it came from the left flank, with Jones seeing his shot loop up off Kenny McLean and over the head of the helpless Lewis, before dropping in at the back post.

Aberdeen were lucky not to fall behind just before the hour as Erwin and Shinnie challenged to meet a corner 12 yards out. It seemed to slice off the latter's boot, before dropping onto his own crossbar and eventually being cleared from the danger zone.

Derek McInnes' men were always likely to rally though, and they did just that after the introductions from the bench of Ryan Christie and Gary Mackay-Steven.

Christie was involved in the move that led to McLean having a shot from distance, Aberdeen's best chance for some time, but the Dons midfielder saw his effort fly over the crossbar.

As the game entered the final 10 minutes the play was ranging from end to end, and twice Aberdeen were caught in possession in their own area, only for Kilmarnock to fail to take advantage.

The home crowd urged their side forward even into a tetchy four minutes of injury time, but even though May saw a free-kick pushed over the bar by Jamie Macdonald, there would be no winner.