Dundee manager Paul Hartley felt the 3-1 scoreline was harsh on his team as Aberdeen headed back up the road from Dens Park with a win.
The Dark Blues opened the scoring through Kevin Holt after 13 minutes but the Dons hit back to level through thanks to James Maddison six minutes later.
The visitors edged ahead on 77 minutes thanks to a header from sub Jayden Stockley before Kenny McLean’s late penalty just rubbed it in.
Hartley, with some justification, felt the game was a lot closer than the final result would suggest.
The Dundee boss said: “I don’t think we deserved to lose 3-1.
“I thought we played well and it was a good game of football.
“I thought we were comfortable in the second half, only to have one lapse in concentration.
“I thought we dealt very well with their wide players but it was just that one moment at Aberdeen’s second goal.
“It wasn’t a penalty either. He (Julen Etxabeguren) won the ball. “
Hartley resisted the temptation to be hard on goalkeeper Scott Bain, who should have saved the shot from Maddison.
He added: “We didn’t clear our lines and Scott has got to do better.
“Nine times out of 10 he will save that and he knows he should have done better.
“But we are not here to crucify anybody. We win as a team and lose as a team.”
Indeed, Hartley was keen to look on the bright side of a match that hung in the balance until the closing stages.
“I think that is the best we have played for a few weeks,” he claimed.
As for the injury-time red card shown to Mark O’Hara, Hartley said: “I think players are getting sent off for very little these days.”
