Motherwell made it back-to-back wins with a comfortable win over Dundee United and left them perfectly prepared for Saturday’s semi-final date at Hampden.
Tawanda Maswanhise, with his ninth goal of the season, gave the Steelmen a deserved lead just before the interval. And although not as dominating in the second half, a superb strike from Elliot Watt was enough to seal the points.
There were five changes to the side that defeated Livingston at the weekend. Paul McGinn, Johnny Koutroumbis, Callum Slattery, Callum Hendry and Regan Charles-Cook all started in place of Liam Gordon, Emmanuel Longelo, Elijah Just, Ibrahim Said and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.
From the kick-off, United raced into the Well box, but their appeals for a handball were quickly dismissed by VAR.
After that dramatic start, though, there was little action in either box, as Jim Goodwin’s men were content to allow ‘Well to play tidy possession football around the middle of the park.
It took until the 26th minute for either keeper to make a save. But after dragging the ball to the edge of the box, Hendry’s low shot posed no problems for Yevhen Kucherenko. Two minutes later, intricate passing around the visitor’s box gave Slattery the chance to curl a shot towards goal before it took a deflection off target.
At the other end, where Ward was only kept busy with his feet, he made his first firm hold of Zac Sapsford’s free kick.
The Steelmen suffered a setback after 37 minutes when Stephen O’Donnell limped off, with Emmanuel Longelo adopting his usual slot on the left. It took the substitute only five minutes to make an impact.
Before then, though, Stephen Welsh lofted a long ball through the middle which Maswanhise chased into the box, forcing a great save from Kucherenko, before the flag was raised for offside.
The Zimbabwe international didn’t have to wait long for his next pop at goal.
Three minutes from the interval Charles -Cook started a fast break on the left before feeding Longelo. When he swept the ball across the United penalty, it found Maswanhise nipping in to slam it past the ‘keeper from six-yards and provide ‘Well with a lead their first-half dominance deserved.
Having held the same advantage in their last home game with Falkirk, the Well fans were hoping the side could maintain the upper hand in the second half.
Although the Tannadice side made the better start to the half, it was Well who came close to extending their lead after 56 minutes. Once again Maswanhise was the threat, bursting through the middle before forcing the keeper to dive low to push the ball away.
It wasn’t cleared from the penalty area, and Charles-Cook set up Hendry for a short mazy run and shot which was blocked on the line by a couple of United defenders.
With 64 minutes on the clock, the Well boss freshened up his side, sending on Liam Gordon, Ibrahim Said and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos.
It was Motherwell’s turn to survive a goal scare seven minutes later when Luca Stephenson, with plenty of the goal to aim at, smacked the ball off the foot of the post and then watched as the ball rebounded past him, when he should have netted the equaliser.
United paid dearly for that miss when the home doubled its lead 14 minutes from time. Longelo again provided the assist, carrying the ball from the halfway line towards the visitor’s box. His cross-field pass found Watt with time and space, and from 25 yards his wonderful drive ripped into the net with Kucherenko diving to his left in vain.
Motherwell Team: Ward, O’Donnell, McGinn, Welsh, Koutroumbis, Watt, Fadinger, Slattery, Charles-Cook, Maswanhise, Hendry.
Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Gordon, Longelo, Halliday, Priestman, Sparrow, Just, Said, Stamatelopoulos.
