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“When we play with intensity, we win games. When we don’t, you get today.”

Graham Alexander speaks after Motherwell’s 4-1 away loss at Kilmarnock.

Motherwell shot themselves in the foot with a collapse in performance in defeat at Kilmarnock.

Kyle Lafferty’s goal in the opening minute was cancelled out by Barry Maguire’s first goal in claret and amber to take the game in level at the break.

But a quickfire double from Rory McKenzie and Chris Burke before the hour mark put the hosts in the driving seat, before Mitch Pinnock added further insult to injury late on.

The afternoon started with the Motherwell team deciding to no longer take a knee before the match.

The squad spoke out beforehand to say the action had became an empty gesture, with further action required by those in power to fight properly against racism.

When the game got going, a minute hadn’t passed before the hosts took the lead.

Lafferty found room on the edge of the box and his snapshot caught Kelly off guard to find the bottom-right corner of the net.

Motherwell were shellshocked but started to get on the ball and would bring themselves level seven minutes later.

Jordan Roberts was denied at point-blank range by Doyle’s save but Maguire reacted quickest, finding the corner of the goal from the edge of the area with a precise finish.

The Steelmen were in level at the break despite not putting in their normal level of performance but would collapse 10 minutes into the second half.

A ball from the right wasn’t cleared and allowed McKenzie to be alert to nick the ball, round Kelly and slot home from close range.

Barely a minute later, they were 3-1 ahead. A cross from the left sailed unchallenged all the way to the back post, where Burke was on hand to fire into the roof of the net.

Long and Lawless were introduced to try and spark the team back to life but, save for Roberts’ volley hitting the post, Graham Alexander’s men couldn’t get a foothold back in the fixture.

Then, with seven minutes left, Pinnock got the better of Magloire down the left to find himself one-on-one with Kelly, picking his spot to give the Ayrshire club a vital victory in the fight against relegation.

“Every point is vital. We have to fight hard to make sure we take them.”

Graham Alexander looks ahead to the final game before the split away at Kilmarnock.

Motherwell head to Kilmarnock on Saturday, in the final match before the Premiership split.

Here’s the key topics going into the fixture.

Every point matters

Saturday could be crucial for both teams in the fight against relegation danger.

As it stands, Kilmarnock are bottom of the table, a point behind Hamilton in the play-off spot and 10 behind Motherwell.

A victory for Graham Alexander’s side would put them 12 clear of Killie with 15 points left to play for, which would be a strong position to take into the split.

Defeat, however, narrows the gap to seven and depending on other results, could set up a nervous few weeks.

Contrasting fortunes

After a mid-February blip, Motherwell’s form has picked up again.

A battling point at St Mirren was followed by victory at Hibernian, before a 3-1 home win over Livingston to make it five wins in the last 10 matches.

Killie meanwhile have lost nine of their last 10, with the only respite coming in a 1-1 home draw with Dundee United in late February.

Head to head

Motherwell have had success in recent trips to Ayrshire.

The last two encounters away have ended in 1-0 victories. Allan Campbell netted in the win in February this season, with Jake Carroll’s free-kick sealing the same scoreline in December 2019.

Prior to that, a 0-0 draw makes it three matches undefeated for the Steelmen away.

Kilmarnock v Motherwell on Saturday is available to stream live, wherever you are in the world.

If you’re in the UK or Republic of Ireland, a live stream of the game is available to buy on a pay-per-view basis for £12.50 direct from Kilmarnock.

International-based supporters can watch via their usual subscription at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

Kick-off at Rugby Park on Saturday is at 3pm.

Declan Gallagher and Stephen O’Donnell have been selected by Scotland for their forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.

The pair, an integral part of the squad who qualified for this summer’s EURO 2020 tournament, are in Steve Clarke’s selection for matches with Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.

Scotland start their campaign at home to Austria on Thursday, 25 March, before travelling to Tel-Aviv three days later.

Hampden then hosts the final of the triple-header against the Faroes on 31 March.

Motherwell head to Kilmarnock in the final Scottish Premiership fixture before the league split.

Kick-off at Rugby Park on Saturday is at 3pm.

Watch live

If you’re in the UK or Republic of Ireland, a live stream of the game is available to buy on a pay-per-view basis for £12.50 direct from Kilmarnock.

International-based supporters can watch via their usual subscription at live.motherwellfc.co.uk.

Tale of the tape

Motherwell have won three of their last five against Kilmarnock, drawing one and losing one.

The latest match came in Ayrshire on 10 February, with Allan Campbell’s goal the difference in a 1-0 win for the visitors.

Earlier in the campaign, Kilmarnock were 2-0 winners at Fir Park, their first win in the fixture since December 2018.

Form guide

Victory over Livingston in the last outing made it two wins on the bounce for Graham Alexander’s side, and the third game in a row undefeated.

The Steelmen sit 10 points above bottom-side Kilmarnock going into the match, the sixth last league game of the 2020/21 season.

Killie are without a win in 10 matches, during which time they’ve drawn one and lost nine.

A victory over Hamilton came at home on 9 January, before defeats to Hibernian, Livingston, St Johnstone, Celtic, St Mirren, Motherwell, Rangers, Aberdeen and Ross County.

Ross MacIver has moved on loan to Partick Thistle for the rest of the season.

The forward spent the first half of the season in the Championship with Morton, making nine appearances and netting in the Renfrewshire derby with St Mirren.

A scorer on his debut for Motherwell in a 2-1 win at Ross County in December 2019, MacIver has made nine appearances in claret and amber to date.

Yusuf Hussain has been loaned to Brechin City for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

The defender joins the League Two side as they prepare for the resumption of their campaign.

Hussain, 19, will now have the opportunity to gain first-team minutes, having featured largely for Motherwell’s second string and appearing on the substitutes’ bench for Graham Alexander’s men.

Liam Kelly is your February player of the month.

The goalkeeper won the public vote in the award, sponsored by our main partners Paycare.

Kelly was an influential figure in the month for Motherwell, keeping three clean sheets and pulling off pivotal saves, particularly against Dundee United, Hibernian and Livingston.