Two first-half goals were enough to see off 10-man Aberdeen, as Motherwell secured three points to propel themselves back up to fifth in the Premiership table.
The Steelmen move three-points clear of sixth-placed St. Mirren, and four-points shy of Aberdeen in fourth, as Stuart Kettlewell’s side ended their four game winless run to earn their first victory of 2025.
The Dons continued their miserable run of 10-games without a win and five straight defeats, as Ewan Wilson’s opener and Tawanda Maswanhise’s second ensured all three-points remained in North Lanarkshire.
After the disappointing performance at Tynecastle, Stuart Kettlewell made four changes to his starting line-up.
At the back, Kofi Balmer swapped places with Shane Blaney, while Davor Zdravkovski came into the midfield with Marvin Kaleta recalled to the wide right.
Without the injured Apostolos Stamatelopoulos in attack, Moses Ebiye was given a rare start with Tawanda Maswanhise and Tony Watt supporting on either side.
Both sides competed well in the first half-hour before Ewan Wilson powered ‘Well into the lead with his first Motherwell goal. A double blow for the Dons came shortly before the half-time whistle when Slobodan Rubezic received his marching orders after an altercation with Tony Watt yards from the Motherwell touchline. Maswanhise immediately capitalised on the one-man advantage, coasting through the dis-united Aberdeen backline before stroking home a second for the Fir Park side before the interval.
The Dons made a positive start, with Oxborough called into action to deny Luis Lopes, whilst Maswanhise retaliated by testing Ross Doohan within the opening stages of the game.
A couple of minutes later, Aberdeen had a narrow escape.
Balmer’s long-throw eventually reached Casey, who coasted into the Dons six-yard box, but his dipping header sailed across the face of goal before falling beyond the back post.
The pressure on Doohan’s goal finally earned the home side the opener after 34 minutes.
This time Watt was the provider, firing the ball across the penalty area, and Wilson raced in at the back post to slam a fabulous left-foot finish high past Doohan to put the Steelmen in front.
Dons had a lot of possession, with little threat on Oxborough’s goal, as ‘Well looked to comfortably hold onto their single goal lead until the interval.
Then, less than a minute before the break, the visitors endured a frustrating moment in the game.
Watt and Rubezic tangled after the ball rolled out of play near the halfway line, and the Dons defender reacted by facing up to Watt, where he appeared to clash heads before being subsequently shown a red card for violent conduct.
Before the Aberdeen defence could reorganise, Jimmy Thelin’s side were immediately hit with a second goal.
From that well-placed throw-in, Kaleta lofted the ball over the visitor’s rearguard, allowing Maswanhise to run through on goal before calmly sliding the ball past Doohan for his fifth goal of the season.
Two goals ahead at half-time for the second consecutive home game and with a man advantage, ‘Well fans were hoping that Dons couldn’t stage a second half fightback.
With two halftime changes and the backing of their encouraging 1400 fans, the Pittodrie side made a spirited start to the second half, giving Oxborough a few anxious moments.
With five minutes remaining, Paul McGinn and Callum Slattery were warmly welcomed back after long-term injuries and see out the closing stages of the game as ‘Well extended their impressive home form.
Motherwell Team: Oxborough, Kaleta, Casey, Gordon, Balmer, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Watt, Ebiye, Maswanhise.
Motherwell Bench: Hegyi, O’Donnell, Koutroumbis, Blaney, McGinn, Sparrow, Slattery, Nicholson, Vale.
