Report and free match highlights from the cinch Scottish Premiership clash between Motherwell and Aberdeen at Fir Park as goals from Bojan Miovski and Luis Lopes helped Jim Goodwin's in-form Dons to victory
Saturday 22 October 2022 20:48, UK
Bojan Miovski and Luis Lopes were on target as Aberdeen recorded a first win over Motherwell in five games.
Miovski put the visitors ahead after four minutes with a delicate chip - the goal given following a lengthy VAR review - before Stuart McKinstry levelled for Motherwell at the start of the second period.
In-form Lopes struck the winner after 67 minutes as he stooped to meet Jack MacKenzie's cross from the left to earn the Dons a 2-1 cinch Premiership victory.
Steven Hammell made one alteration from the midweek defeat to Celtic as midfielder Ross Tierney came in for forward Connor Shields.
Aberdeen boss Jim Goodwin made three changes to the Aberdeen side that booked their place at Hampden with a 4-1 win over Partick Thistle - reverting to the side that beat Hearts 2-0 last weekend.
Hayden Coulson, Matty Kennedy and Vicente Besuijen dropped out for Jayden Richardson, Connor Barron, and MacKenzie.
Only four minutes had elapsed in North Lanarkshire before referee Euan Anderson was chatting with Andrew Dallas, sitting in the Scottish FA's video review room in Glasgow.
The visitors raced into an early lead through Miovski, who beautifully chipped Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly after running onto Barron's through ball. The flag was raised for offside, but VAR overruled it after a lengthy check and the goal was awarded.
The Dons had the ball in the back of the net a few minutes later when Lopes tucked home from close range after his initial header was well saved by Kelly - but this time it was given as offside in the first instance and, after another check, VAR confirmed the decision was correct.
Up the other end, Kevin van Veen spurned a gilt-edged chance to draw Motherwell level.
Kelle Roos slid out to gather the ball and lost it - leaving the Dutchman with what looked like the simplest of finishes - but his effort went wide of the target to spare the goalkeeper's blushes.
Having been booed off at half-time, Motherwell must have taken great heart from the words of Hammell as they roared back into action - levelling through McKinstry after 55 minutes.
Minutes after Lopes squandered a one-on-one chance for Aberdeen, Shields' cross into the box landed at the feet of McKinstry, who controlled well before firing low into the far corner beyond Roos.
However, it was Aberdeen who retook the lead after a scintillating counter-attacking move as MacKenzie's cross was met by the head of Lopes and he powered his header into the bottom corner.
Motherwell threatened an equaliser with a flurry of late corners but Aberdeen held on for victory.
Motherwell manager Steven Hammell:
"It's difficult, it seems to be the way it is just now, we've lost by a single goal in a game we could've had. We created a lot of chances and were dominant in the second half but Aberdeen went up the pitch and scored. Any chance that fell to us today by and large we didn't take them. I think we had most of the second half but it's fine margins in the game when you've been on the wrong end of it.
"We scored a goal, created chances and were in the game but again we conceded a sloppy goal and it's been pretty consistent in the way things have gone recently. We've created a lot of chances throughout the season and weren't anywhere near our best today, but we still had enough in the game and feel like we deserved to come away with something. It's about big moments going our way. We've played Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen in six days. It's not an excuse but I think the game in midweek took it out of some of the boys. We had pretty much the same starting 11 and we had to ask them to go again."
Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin:
"It has been a good week. People keep talking about that (away) record but we have beaten St Johnstone in Perth. I don't want to go through all the rigmarole with the other ones but the most disappointing one was Dundee United two weeks ago.
"It was a really poor performance and we knew we had to bounce back and we knew we owed the travelling support, who have been immense all season, a result. We let them down. So today we gave them a good performance and a good result for them to be able to enjoy the journey back up the road."
Both teams are back in action at 3pm on Saturday October 29. Motherwell travel to Tannadice to take on Dundee United, while Aberdeen face Rangers at Ibrox.
