Boss Derek McInnes criticised the performance of referee Willie Collum after Aberdeen lost 3-1 at Inverness to put a dent in their Premiership title hopes.
Collum awarded Inverness a penalty after Ross Draper appeared to be fouled by Ash Taylor. Replays showed there was little contact, however.
It had looked rosier for the visitors when Adam Rooney put them ahead in the seventh minute but Taylor’s slack defending allowed Iain Vigurs to equalise.
Greg Tansey then scored from the penalty Collum awarded, with Carl Tremarco netting his first goal for the club to seal all three points.
Controversial calls dominated McInnes’ post-match thoughts.
“Key decisions have gone against us that should have gone for us. That’s pivotal in the outcome of the result,” he said.
“At the time I didn’t think there was anything in it.
“The player has bought a penalty.
“He’s gone down under no contact and the referee has assumed there is contact.
“The same player bought a penalty last time and went down a bit easy. It was the same tonight. You’re hoping the referee sees it. Maybe if he sees it again he makes a different decision.
“I’m wary that it comes across as sour grapes but we’ve been harshly treated in both boxes.
“(Graeme) Shinnie’s is a penalty where (Lewis) Horner takes a swipe at him and there is contact. Ash Taylor has also been grabbed and pulled.
“Both of those instances could have been a penalty for us.”
His Caley counterpart John Hughes sympathised with McInnes but was happy to receive a bit of luck.
“For the second goal, the penalty, if it was against me I would have felt hard done by,” he said.
“Draper did get a touch and the boy clattered him but it is 50-50. We take it.
“There was a little bit of luck for the third one as well, off an Aberdeen head and then Carl Tremarco is in at the back.”
McInnes had also claimed that Collum got three penalty calls wrong when the sides drew 2-2 on Boxing Day.
The defeat ends Aberdeen’s 12-game unbeaten league run and stalls their chase of leaders Celtic, while Inverness move up to sixth, ahead of St Johnstone, on goal difference.
Attendance: 4,544.
Inverness CT: Fon Williams, Horner (Hughes 88), Warren, Devine, Tremarco, Tansey, Draper, Polworth, Roberts (Mbuyi-Mutombo 80), Vigurs, Storey (Ryan Williams 90). Subs not used: Esson, Wedderburn, Jason Brown.
Aberdeen: Brown, Logan, Taylor, Reynolds, Shinnie, Rooney, Storie, McLean, Hayes (Pawlett 28), McGinn, Church (Smith 67). Subs not used: Considine, Flood, Robson, Collin, Ross.
Referee: Willie Collum.