Motherwell downed 10-man Aberdeen 2-0 as Jimmy Thelin’s early season high-flyer’s are now 10 games without a win.
A first ‘Well goal for academy graduate Ewan Wilson and a fifth of the season for Tawanda Maswanshise, either side of a Slobodan Rubezic red card all before half time, sealed three points for the Steelmen and condemned the Dons to five losses in a row – their worst run since 2021.
The match started with a poignant moment of silence to remember fans lost in 2024,as Motherwell embarked on their first home match of the new year.
Imminent snowfall was the biggest threat in the opening exchanges on a bitterly cold afternoon in Lanarkshire where chances were few and far between.
Dan Casey should’ve had the hosts ahead after 20 minutes though, he ghosted in at the back post to meet an Andy Halliday cross but couldn’t direct his header on target with Ross Doohan looking beaten.
Aberdeen then had there first effort of match when Nicky Devlin forced a reflex stop from Aston Oxborough with his header from a corner.
If it was a cool start to proceedings it certainly increased to at least a simmer when the home side took the lead mid-way through the first half. Tony Watt’s cutback found it’s way to Wilson on the left who smashed home an emphatic finish to notch his first goal for the Steelmen.
It then all boiled over just minutes before the break.
Rubezic had been in a running battle with Watt all afternoon and it came to a head, quite literally, just before the break. The pair collided on the touchline before the defender appeared to thrust his head towards the Motherwell man, which left Nick Walsh in no doubt that he should see red – a decision ratified by VAR.
Stuart Kettlewell’s side made their man advantage count almost immediately as they doubled their advantage. Liam Gordon clipped a ball over the top for Maswanhise to latch on to before he steered it beyond Doohan for 2-0.
Aberdeen did step up the intensity in the second period and on another day Leighton Clarkson’s effort that cannoned off the crossbar would’ve went in.
However, worryingly for Dons fans they ended the game without any recognised centre-backs on the park and played large parts of the game without a centre forward, two positions that would appear to be a priority in January if they are to recapture some of their early season form.
