Motherwell lifted as Mark McGhee secures first home win since return
Motherwell gave themselves a much-needed Ladbrokes Premiership boost with a 3-1 win over Dundee at Fir Park.
Scott McDonald gave the home side the lead in the fifth minute with fellow striker Louis Moult adding a second on the half-hour mark with a header after earlier hitting the post.
The Taysiders shrugged off their first-half inertia and in the 68th minute substitute Gary Harkins, on for Rory Loy just after the break, reduced the deficit with a deflected strike.
But the points were clinched in the 90th minute after Well midfielder Stephen Pearson and Dees counterpart Paul McGowan fought for a cross from substitute David Clarkson with the ball ending in the net.
Well's second win in eight games was also Mark McGhee's first home win since taking over as boss for the second time in October and it took the Lanarkshire side above Kilmarnock into 10th place, nine points ahead of bottom side Dundee United with Dundee now eight games without a win.
McGhee gave a debut to 18-year-old Northern Irish stopper Ben Hall who came in for Kieran Kennedy who started on the bench, while Dundee captain Kevin Thomson and defender Gary Irvine returned.
Little of note occurred until Motherwell took the early lead.
Dundee failed to properly clear a Josh Law free-kick from wide on the left, and when the ball eventually fell to midfielder Pearson his pass found the unmarked McDonald and he turned and poked the ball past Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain from 12 yards.
The home side took control and in the 26th minute only a fine save from Bain stopped Pearson's low drive on the turn, after being picked out by McDonald, from finding the net.
Dundee survived the corner but they remained penned back and Moult hit the post with a glancing header from a Marvin Johnson cross before McDonald's unorthodox effort took a deflection and appeared to touch the crossbar on the way over for another corner.
There was no respite for the visitors and in the 31st minute, this time from Law's corner from the left, Moult rose inside the box to head past Bain.
Dundee, at last, responded.
Moments later, Well goalkeeper Connor Ripley beat away a drive from Kane Hemmings for a corner, after the Dundee striker had fashioned space for himself 10 yards out.
In the 41st minute Thomas Konrad replaced injured defender Julen Etxabeguren with the first half ending with Liam Grimshaw's curling shot from distance just over the crossbar, before failing to pick out Moult after a driving run into the box.
The visitors came out fighting at the start of the second half, soon bringing on Harkins for Loy and Riccardo Calder for Nicky Low.
And it was Harkins who brought Dundee back into the match when his deflected shot from Hemmings' cross ended up behind Ripley.
Motherwell's early assurance vanished.
In the 72nd minute Dundee forward Greg Stewart headed a McGowan cross past the post from six yards before Calder curled a shot wide.
But the home side had chances too, with Bain pushing a Law free-kick away for a corner and Moult heading over from close range before the ball ended up in the Dundee net for a third time after Pearson and McGowan raced to get to a cross from Clarkson, who had replaced Johnson.
Source: PA
