Aberdeen have moved to within two points of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic with a 1-0 victory away at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The visitors began the game on the front foot, with David Goodwillie seeing a header comfortably saved and their pressure paid off on 12 minutes.
Niall McGinn did well to find Peter Pawlett inside the penalty area, and the 23-year-old wasted no time in sweeping the ball into the top corner.
Aberdeen, who have now won their last four fixtures, were good value for their lead, with Jonny Hayes and McGinn both having efforts that threatened a second goal.
As the game reached the half-hour mark, Inverness finally began to enjoy some success in the opposition half, with Gary Warren and Andrew Shinnie drawing timely interventions out of the visiting defence.
The Inverness revival continued during the closing minutes of the half and Dons stopper Scott Brown had to be alert to deny both Marley Watkins and David Raven.
The start of the second half did not contain the same excitement as the first, but Aberdeen almost found a way through for the second time when Goodwillie drove forward before providing a ball for Hayes that was only marginally in front of the Irishman.
Inverness responded through a deflected effort from Ryan Christie, before Brown pulled off yet another smart save to stop Greg Tansey's free kick from finding the corner.
As the game entered the final 10 minutes, Billy McKay struck the woodwork after being found at the back post, but Aberdeen held off the late charge from their hosts to move into second place.
Darren Plant
