[tab:Match report]
Gavin McCafferty at Pittodrie
Motherwell turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season, but were held to a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie.
The Steelmen were the better side in the opening forty-five, but were somehow behind a minute before the interval when Adam Rooney headed home a disputed free-kick from the right flank.
The Dons were edging the second half but Scott McDonald brought his side level with an almost identical goal with seventeen minutes left on the clock.
The Steelmen went on to shade the closing stages, and only a multitude of terrific saves from Danny Ward stopped Mark McGhee’s side from picking up all three points.
The Claret and Amber men showed just once change from the side that lost to Celtic seven days previous, with skipper Keith Lasley reinstalled to the side, Louis Laing taking his place.
The visitors would have the better of the first 45 minutes, and there was an early taste of things to come.
Just four minutes in another of the quartet, Shay Logan, had to be alert in challenging Louis Moult on the edge of the six-yard box, after he had been played in by Marvin Johnson.
Johnson was having an excellent game on the right wing, and he was involved again, combining with Josh Law when Lasley sent an 18-yard snapshot wide of target.
Midway through the first half, it was another move down that side that saw Logan, tucking in again to cover his centre-backs, time his challenge perfectly to deny Wes Fletcher.
But ten minutes from the interval everything started to come together for the hosts.
A swift counter-attack saw Hayes and McGinn exchange passes, before the former sent his angled drive high and wide.
It was a warning not heeded by the visitors, and when Stephen Pearson gave away an extremely soft free-kick after 42 minutes, the home side took the lead.
Hayes and McGinn stood over the ball, and it was the latter who swung over a sweet cross. The defence and goalkeeper hesitated as the ball flew in – but Rooney, who may have been flagged off, rose well to nod in off the far post.
It was a hugely cruel blow for the Fir Parkers, who somehow found themselves behind at the break.
To make matters worse, the experienced Lasley was forced off with an calf injury, to be replaced by Lionel Ainsworth. ‘Well could have found themselves further behind just moments later as McGinn worked an opening to cross for Rooney – but his header was just over the bar.
Motherwell had another narrow escape just before the hour mark as Hayes and Rooney combined, the striker feeding McGinn whose miscue was almost turned in by Peter Pawlett, only for the ball to dribble wide of the target.
Aberdeen did have the ball in the net again when Mark Reynolds turned home a free-kick from close range, but his effort was ruled out by an offside call from the assistant referee, Kylie McMullan.
Motherwell were quickly on the attack themselves, sensing a leveller and Ward had to look smart to hold a stinging drive from sub Theo Robinson, who had replaced Louis Moult.
The home side were dealt an injury blow of their own when Ash Taylor was forced off with a back injury he picked up in attempting a clearance. Fir Fir Park skipper Paul Quinn took his place.
And Motherwell would find themselves deservedly level with 73 minutes gone.
Reynolds gave away afree-kick challenging for an aerial ball with McDonald, and in what was almost a carbon copy of the first half Aberdeen goal, the little Aussie hitman ghosted in at the back post to head home Ainsworth’s cross.
With five minutes remaining, Motherwell’s goalkeeper, Connor Ripley, had to be at his best to push a Logan header over after excellent work by his fellow full-back, Graeme Shinnie.
However and at the other end Ward performed similar heroics to keep his side in the match. He twice saved from Ainsworth, one an incredible block after taking a deflection, a point-blank from Robinson after McDonald had teed up the Jamaican International inside the area and blocked Johnson’s rising shot. Robinson also had a later header drop just wide.
The game finished with the Steelmen earning a share of the spoils. It was a drastically improved showing from McGhee’s side who will again challenge his players to up again when they visit on-form Kilmarnock next Saturday.
[tab:As it happened]
Ally Reilly at Pittodrie
Really felt like a winner was coming but the Aberdeen goalie has pulled off some really good saves in the last few minutes.
FT: Aberdeen 1 – 1 Motherwell #AFCvMFC
93′ | 1-1
Wow, yet ANOTHER great save from Ward to tip Ainsworth’s low shot around the post! Unbelievable.
92′ | 1-1
Another great save from Ward to deny Johnson! Tips it over the bar from 20 yards!
90′ | 1-1
Four minutes added on
89′ | 1-1
Aberdeen sub, McLaughlin on for McGinn
87′ | 1-1
And up the other end Ward somehow tips Robinson’s powerful shot over the bar. Incredible stuff!
85′ | 1-1
Looked a certain goal there but Ripley flies across his goal and somehow tips Reynolds’ header over the bar
82′ | 1-1
Dangerous Aberdeen break is thwarted by a good sliding block tackle from Kennedy at the near post
79′ | 1-1
Aberdeen sub, Pawlett off for Goodwillie.
76′ | 1-1
Great take by Robinson which allows him to get the shot away. Its a bit ambitious by forces a save from Ward.
72′ | 1-1
McDONALD heads in a great Ainsworth free kick to level the game!!
GGOOOAALLLL!!!!!!|
68′ | 1-0
And an Aberdeen change, Quinn on for Taylor.
67′ | 1-0
Final Motherwell change, Robinson on for Moult.
65′ | 1-0
Ball is clipped into Pawlett who tries the acrobatic overhead kick. Flies over the bar but looked well offside anyway
61′ | 1-0
Motherwell sub, Fletcher off for McDonald
60′ | 1-0
Aberdeen have the ball in the net but the assistant referee’s flag is up as Taylor fires in off the bar.
59′ | 1-0
Great chance for Pawlett as he gets the break of the ball inside the box but hooks his shot just wide of the left post.
56′ | 1-0
Pearson enters the ref’s book for a challenge on Jack.
54′ | 1-0
Rooney gets his head onto Hayes’ cross but it loops just over the bar from 12 yards.
52′ | 1-0
Motherwell sub, Lasley limps off and is replaced by Ainsworth
46′ | 1-0
Law clips in a ball with the outside of his boot to the head of Fletcher but he never got any power in his header to test Ward.
Moult and Grimshaw get the second 45 underway. COYW!
HT’ | 1-0
Aberdeen 1 – 0 Motherwell
#AFCvMFC
42′ | 1-0
Goal – Rooney heads in from an Aberdeen free-kick. The decision to give the free-kick looked incredibly harsh.
39′ | 0-0
Great deep free-kick from Johnson has to be nodded wide for a corner. From that deep corner the ball is hamlessly headed wide.
35′ | 0-0
Aberdeen break down the right and McGinn slides in Hayes but on his weaker foot, he skews it just wide of the post.
33′ | 0-0
Couple of balls being flung into the Motherwell box but defence stand strong and clear the danger on both occassions.
30′ | 0-0
Nice bit of interplay down the left almost sets Moult free but the assistant referee’s flag is up. Looked tight.
27′ | 0-0
Motherwell playing some good stuff here. Just lacking that final ball to make it count.
23′ | 0-0
Another good chance! Moult finds Fletcher with a low cross but Reynolds gets across him and knocks it out for a corner.
19′ | 0-0
Great chance for Lasley as the ball falls to him on the edge of the box but he drags his shot inches past the post.
14′ | 0-0
From the corner delivery, Ripley gets a fist to it and punches clear.
13′ | 0-0
Hayes twists and turns and sees his cross turned out for a corner.
10′ | 0-0
Corner to Motherwell, easily headed clear by Taylor though.
9′ | 0-0
Johnson nutmegs his man and fires off a shot from wide on the right. Not far wide from the pacey winger!
6′ | 0-0
Chalmers takes no chances with Hayes’ cross and sticks it out for a corner, which Law heads clear at the front post.
Kick-Off
Pawlett and Hayes get the game underway. COYW!!
[tab:Reaction]
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee:
“I don’t know if we should have won but we could of won. Connor Ripley also made a great save to make sure we didn’t lose the game so that balances up.
“We feel the goal was a soft free kick from a dangerous area but we also felt Adam Rooney never came back onside so the goal he scores is in essence offside and we felt very aggrieved at half time.
“But the players answered another question from me in terms of having the desire to come back and get something against Aberdeen so I was delighted.
“Now they have set their standards they must reproduced that against Kilmarnock next week.
“They must put in the same sort of determination and skill to get something out of that game as it’s easier to do that at places like Aberdeen.
“If you don’t do that against Celtic and Aberdeen then you know you are going to get gubbed so we must raise our game in every match.
“The substitutes played their part when they came on and the good thing is I now feel I could perm any eleven from the 14 who took part today.”
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes:
“We passed up a couple of chances to win the game which maybe we wouldn’t a few weeks ago but I thought we were the far better team until they scored.
“It was much more like us but Danny pulled off a few good saves near the end so maybe a draw was fair but that was much more like us.
“Losing a goal from a set play was disappointing and it was a cheap goal for us to lose and not getting a second goal came back to bite us.”
[tab:Man-of-the-match]
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