Motherwell stretched their advantage to five points from fifth placed Hibernian with a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock, stretching their unbeaten run on home soil to nine games.
The Fir Park men toiled early on to tame a committed Killie side, who were denied the opener after VAR’s intervention. Elijah Just’s superb finish after 30 minutes settled the Steelmen. And when Neil McCann’s side were dealt a double blow on the stroke of half-time, with Tom Lowery red-carded before Tawanda Maswanhise claimed his 16th goal of the season, it was really game over.
Dominating the second half, Ibrahim Said made it 3-0 before Lukas Fadinger added a late fourth to make it a richly rewarding afternoon for the 6700 ‘Well fans.
Continuing their league campaign following last week’s success in the Scottish Cup, five changes were made to the team. Calum Ward returned between the sticks, with captain Paul McGinn brought back into the backline. Emmanuel Longelo, Lukas Fadinger and Elijah Just were also handed starts.
Matty Connelly, Johnny Koutroumbis, Liam Gordon, Luca Ross and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos dropped to the bench, which consisted of four Motherwell FC Academy graduates: Connelly, Zander McAllister, Rocco McColm and Ross.
Eythor Bjørgolfsson was named amongst the substitutes following his move to the club earlier in the week, as the Norwegian looked to make his debut.
With Scottish Cup progression secured last week, Motherwell were looking to make it nine games unbeaten at Fir Park. Coming up against a Kilmarnock side who hadn’t won in 16 matches and who hadn’t won at Fir Park since December 2020, the pressure and expectation were firmly on Jens Berthel Askou’s side’s shoulders.
The Ayrshire side’s positive start was rewarded when they found the net after 13 minutes. Marcus Dackers lob allowed Liam Polworth to step beyond McGinn before rounding the grounded Ward and rolling the ball into an empty goal. The former ‘Well player’s celebrations lasted for a couple of minutes before VAR’s lengthy review judged the Killie man to be marginally offside.
Despite that let-off, the Steelmen were still on the back foot, and the gangly Dackers rose unchallenged to nod the ball narrowly wide.
It took until midway through the half for the home side to find their passing rhythm, and McGinn’s header from Callum Slattery’s free kick gave Kellie Roos his first real action.
The Killie keeper needed stronger hands a couple of minutes later when he beat away a powerful drive from Maswanhise as the Fir Park men started to make their presence felt around the opposition box.
And on the half hour patient passing around the visitor’s penalty area paid off. A delightful exchange at the edge of the box with Lukas Fadinger sent Just clear, and his rising left-foot finish sent the ball high past Roos.
As Motherwell went chasing a second, they had another lucky goal escape after 36 minutes. Former Fir Park defender Dominic Thompson whipped in a free kick, and Tyreece John-Jules’ powerful header sent the ball beyond Ward only to see it rebound off the face of the crossbar.
Neil McCann’s afternoon got worse in a mad minute spell just before the half-time whistle.
Already on a yellow card, Tom Lowery’s desperate lunge at Maswanhise earned him a red card. And the Killie midfielder had no sooner headed up the tunnel when Maswanhise, at the edge of the six-yard box, swept home yet another tempting Tom Sparrow cross to double Well’s lead.
That left Motherwell with a two-goal and a man advantage for a second half they controlled.
Ten minutes into the second half, Longelo’s cross found Said six yards from goal, and he let the ball bounce before hammering it past the helpless Roos.
With the points in the bag, the Well boss made a double substitution, giving Johnny Koutroumbis and, more crucially, Eythor Bjorgolfsson 30 minutes of game time. Looking at a possible pairing up front, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos joined the Norwegian for the final 20 minutes at the expense of a superb Just.
After a couple of scares around his goal in the first half, Ward was rarely troubled but he made a terrific one handed save ten minutes from time to deny Brad Lyons and keep a clean sheet for eight consecutive home game.
A minute later it was 4-0. Bjorgolfsson claimed a loose ball in the box and laid it off to Fadinger, who fired across the keeper and into the far corner of the net.
The Norwegian striker was making the most of ‘Well’s advantage and surging forward from the middle of the park he fed the ball to Slattery and his thumping strike from 30 yards was beaten away by Roos to deny Well a fifth goal.
Motherwell Team: Ward, Sparrow, O’Donnell, McGinn, Longelo, Priestman, Fadinger, Slattery, Just, Maswanhise, Said.
Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Koutroumbis, Gordon, McGhee, McAllister, McColm, Ross, Stamatelopoulos, Bjørgolfsson.
