Motherwell’s optimistic route to the top-six was left undermined, with a frustrating display over Aberdeen distancing the Steelmen from Hibernian in sixth-place, as the visitors secured the three points at a rainswept Fir Park in a game overshadowed by refereeing inconsistency.
Leighton Clarkson fired the Dons ahead with the only goal of the contest midway through the first-half, latching onto the ball deep inside the Motherwell penalty area after Bojan Miovski’s close-range effort rattled the near post, with the midfielder placing the rebounded effort beyond the reach of Liam Kelly in the Motherwell goal.
Manager Stuart Kettlewell made one change from the historic victory over Rangers at Ibrox last weekend, with Sam Nicholson retuning to the starting XI and Davor Zdravkovski settling for a place on the bench.
Motherwell struggled to find their rhythm in the opening phases of play, with misplaced passes for both sides the key theme in the opening 15-minutes. Theo Bair sought to tee up teammate and strike-partner Jack Vale after breaking through the high Aberdeen backline, but the forward lost his footing as he attempted to find the Welshman in the visiting six-yard-box.
Skipper Liam Kelly was called into action moments later, with Miovski threatening the Motherwell defence with a powerful effort from the left-hand side of the box, but the Scotland international reacted superbly to parry the North Macedonian’s effort over the crossbar.
The decisive goal came midway through the first-half, with Clarkson reacting quickest to prod home Miovski’s drilled strike that ricocheted kindly off the post to the feet of the 22-year-old.
Lennon Miller restored Motherwell’s momentum shortly before the break, with a precise finish into the bottom-left corner, but the celebrations were drawn to a close, as following consultation with VAR; referee Willie Collum ruled against the equaliser for a suspected handball.
Motherwell rallied in the dying stages of the game in the desperate attempt to salvage a late equaliser, and looked destined to receive a spot-kick after the ball ricocheted off the arm of Graeme Shinne in a clear unnatural position, but despite briefly stopping play, the full-time whistle was blown in a frustrating and disappointing afternoon for the Steelmen.
