Aberdeen held by Livingston as pressure mounts on Jimmy Thelin

Aberdeen finally picked up their first William Hill Premiership point of the season but the pressure on manager Jimmy Thelin mounted after a tepid display in a 0-0 draw at home to Livingston.

The home side dominated possession but took until the 69th minute to register a shot on target.

Thelin’s men had gone into the game without so much as a league goal, let alone a point, but the loan signing of Bologna man Jesper Karlsson had captured the imagination of the Pittodrie crowd.

He was one of seven changes from their defeat to Falkirk prior to the international break, with fellow deadline-day signing Kevin Nisbet also thrown straight in, while German left-back Emmanuel Gyamfi made a delayed debut following his summer move from Schalke.

Davie Martindale made one change to the Livingston side beaten 2-1 by Hearts, on-loan Macaulay Tait – who missed the game against his parent club – replacing Jeremy Bokila.

Karlsson flashed an early effort high over the bar before Gyamfi’s long throw created an opening for Adil Aouchiche as the Dons started brightly but the Frenchman curled wide of the far post.

Livi centre-back Danny Wilson saw a close-range effort deflected behind from a Robbie Muirhead corner as the visitors grew into the game, but the home side continued to dominate – if failing to trouble goalkeeper Jerome Prior.

Karlsson sent another effort well over the bar from Alfie Dorrington’s searching cross-field pass but the best chance yet fell to right-back Alexander Jensen after 26 minutes.

Aberdeen worked the ball from left to right before Jensen angled a low drive inches wide of the far post.

And Karlsson was again involved in the final chance before the interval, ghosting behind the visiting defence and showing a neat first touch before sending a sweet right-footed strike into the side netting.

A tame opening to the second period was livened when Aouchiche curled wide of the far post from the edge of the area after a half-cleared corner and, a few minutes later, the home crowd welcomed local lad Stuart Armstrong as the Scotland international came off the bench for his debut.

The first shot on target of the match fell to Livingston’s Tete Yengi, a header from a corner easily mopped up by Dimitar Mitov.

The home side responded with sub Ante Palaversa stepping up to tee up a 25-yard strike that was sneaking under the crossbar, Prior forced to push the ball over the bar.

Frustrations within Pittodrie were growing as the game entered the dying stages and there was a real sense of a missed opportunity when Dante Polvara slipped Topi Keskinen in, the Finnish winger sending the ball wide of the far post rather than picking out a team-mate.

The Dons threw men forward in droves in injury time in search of a goal. Armstrong was denied a debut goal from six yards as Livi threw bodies in the way and, with almost the final kick of the match, Marko Lazetic thumped the upright to the disbelief of almost everyone in the stadium.