Motherwell registered their fifth defeat in as many matches on Saturday, following a 3-2 defeat to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
The Steelmen found themselves behind inside two minutes as Greg Kiltie capitalised on a defensive mistake. Alex Lowry levelled the game just shy of 20 minutes after a lovely move, before Seb Palmer-Houlden scored his second of the season in the second-half to give his side the lead.
That advantage didn’t last long, however, as Tyreece John-Jules was able to slot home to level the game. Kiltie grabbed his second of the afternoon following a long ball forward as Neil McCann’s side moved level on points with Motherwell.
Following the 2-0 defeat to Champions Celtic last Sunday, Alfred Johansson made two alterations to his starting 11. Tawanda Maswanhise and Ibrahim Said were both brought back into the team, with Dylan Levitt and Willy Vogt dropping to the bench.
And as Motherwell looked to get back on track after a four-game losing run, inside 60 seconds, they found themselves up against it. Goalkeeper Alex Paulsen looked to play out from his six-yard box; he tried to find Lukas Fadinger, but the pass was intercepted by Kilmarnock, who pressed high. Jon-Jules slipped the ball to Kiltie on the left-hand side, who saw his first effort blocked, but the ball landed back with the Killie skipper, and he made no mistake at the second attempt.
And Joe Hugill could have added a second just a couple of minutes later. Martin Moormann was dispossessed, and the forward raced towards the goal; he tried to find the far corner, but the effort trickled past the post.
The reaction to the slow start was a positive one from Motherwell, who began to show signs of life across the pitch. Long spells of possession and high pressure were beginning to pay dividends, and just before the 20-minute mark, the game was level. Fadinger picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch and saw Emmanuel Longelo charging up the left flank; the Austrian clipped a lovely ball over to the full back, who brought the ball down and into his stride effortlessly. He curled a ball into the box which found Palmer-Houlden; his effort was saved by the keeper, but Lowry was on hand to slot home with his left foot on the rebound.
Motherwell had their tails up, and Palmer-Houlden had a couple of half-chances that he couldn’t convert before Tawanda Maswanhise struck the post from his left-footed effort from outside the penalty area.
Callum Ferrie had to make a smart stop to prevent an own goal after 25 minutes, as Michael Schjonning-Larsen nearly scooped the ball into his own net following an Ibrahim Said cross.
The pressure on the Kilmarnock goal continued to rise. Said stole possession and drove into the space; the Nigerian shifted the ball onto his left foot and struck towards the goal, but Ferrie was able to save it down to his right-hand side, with the rebound just too far in front of Palmer-Houlden.
Maswanhise got on the end of Lowry’s cross-field pass on 39 minutes; the Zimbabwean tried to find the corner with the strike but didn’t get the desired connection with the ball.
Paulsen was called into action before the interval, as John-Jules’ powerful strike needed to be saved, before Martin Moormann could make the block from the rebound.
After a lively first-half, the second started in the same manner. George Stanger was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on Lowry on the knee. VAR paused play to assess and recommended an on-field review, which subsequently saw the red card reduced to a yellow.
But the intervention didn’t stop Motherwell’s momentum as they got their noses in front for the first time in the match after 56 minutes. Patient play on the edge of the box saw Fadinger play the ball out right to Said; his cross was perfect for Palmer-Houlden, who darted between defenders to get on the end of the cross. His effort was saved by Ferrie, but the striker’s momentum took him over the goal line, and as Ferrie spilt the ball, the ball trickled over the goal line with Palmer-Houlden knowing very little.
That lead would only last two minutes, however. Jamie Brandon headed forward from the halfway line. Stephen O’Donnell and Jon-Jules battled for the ball, with the Kilmarnock man holding O’Donnell off. He got goal side of the defensive line and slotted home.
Neil McCann’s men scored their third of the afternoon with 20 minutes to go. Brandon’s long ball forward was missed by Hugill, but Kiltie continued his run behind and got on the end of the ball and made no mistake from close range.
Johansson made substitutions as the Steelmen tried to get back into the game. Joe Hodge had a go from distance, but the save was comfortable for Ferrie. Johnny Koutroumbis, who was making his first appearance since August, was threaded through on the right edge of the box, but the full-back couldn’t beat Ferrie, who clutched onto the ball.
Motherwell Team: Paulsen, Sparrow, O’Donnell, Moormann, Longelo, Fadinger, Hodge, Lowry, Maswanhise, Said, Palmer-Houlden.
Motherwell Subs: Connelly, Koutroumbis, McGhee, Knight-Lebel, Girdwood-Reich, Levitt, Vogt, Kanga, Bjørgolfsson.
