Dundee beat Motherwell 2-1 at Dens Park this afternoon thanks to first half goals by Joe Westley, from the penalty spot, and Bradley Fink. Well pulled a goal back shortly before half time through Alex Lowry. The Dark Blues played thrilling attacking football in the first half and should have been more than a goal ahead at the break. Motherwell dominated possession in the second half but the Dee worked hard and stood strong to take three deserved points.
There were only two changes to the starting eleven following the Dark Blues’ wretched luck with injury at Tynecastle. Fin Robertson and Ryan Finnigan were missing and replaced by Callum Jones, returning from injury to make his first league appearance of the season, and Jack Moorhouse, who was given his first start for the Dee.
The first 20 minutes brought surprisingly little action. Owen Goodman pulled off a good save when Well’s Lukas Fadinger pinged a sharp 20 yarder at goal in the second minute. That was pretty much all we had to excite us till the match burst into life in the 20th minute.
Motherwell couldn’t clear a corner and Jack Moorhouse smashed a fierce shot from 16 yards. Keeper Alex Paulson saved well and his defence scrambled clear for another corner. A VAR review intervened before it could be taken. That established a handball at some point, apparently by Emmanuel Longelo. Joe WESTLEY took the spot kick. Paulson got a hand to it but the shot’s power carried the ball into the corner of the net.
The Steelmen came close to an instant equaliser when Tawanda Maswanhise volleyed narrowly wide from Longelo’s cross. From then on the Dark Blues dominated the first half. Well had more possession but Dundee had much greater attacking threat and better chances.
Moorhouse sent a sweet pass down the left for Bradley Fink to run in on goal. His shot beat Paulson but came back off the far post.
Dundee again came close to extending their lead when Imari Samuel played a fine pass to send Moorhouse into the penalty area. Paulson saved well, and recovered to block Moorhouse’s follow up.
It was no surprise when Dundee scored their second after 40 minutes, but the manner of the goal was astonishing. Ryan Astley took a long throw from the right into the penalty area. The ball was cleared only as far as Callum Jones who sent it straight back to Astley. Instead of playing an orthodox cross the defender crashed a fierce cross into the danger area with the outside of his boot. Bradley FINK got his head to the ball which spun into the net off the far post with Paulson caught by surprise.
Dundee continued to attack with stylish confidence while Motherwell struggled to turn possession into chances. Surprisingly the Dee defence switched off momentarily at the end of the half. Tom Sparrow played in a cross from the right and Alex LOWRY had time to take a touch and pick his spot to score into the corner from six yards.
A goal so late in the first half was a sickener for the Dee, and it felt like a Motherwell had got a crucial break, which could turn the game in their favour.
Well did have a chance at the start of the second half when Callum Jones’ poor pass found Maswanhise. The Well striker advanced on goal but took too much time to get his shot away and was foiled by the two Owens, Messrs Bevan and Goodman.
Motherwell continued to hog the ball without being able to set up chances. For an uncomfortably long time Dundee couldn’t break out of defence or get on the ball.
On the hour mark that changed when the Dark Blues broke quickly. Alan Forrest found Westley whose powerful shot brought a fine save from Paulson.
Dundee then brought on Joe Bevan for Jack Moorhouse, who had made an impressive contribution in the first half on his first start.
Owen Bevan’s looping header from the second ball following the corner was turned over by Paulson for a further corner. That found Astley unmarked at the far post and his header looked sure to find the net only for a fantastic save by Paulson to deny him.
The game settled back into a pattern of Well hogging the ball and Dundee trying to hit them on the break. It wasn’t comfortable viewing for nervous Dees in the stands but the Dark Blue defence was outstanding. The Dees remained cool, organised and determined to keep Motherwell out.
Bobby Wales and Brad Halliday replaced Bradley Fink and Callum Jones for the last 20 minutes, with Drey Wright moving into midfield and Halliday taking the right back spot.
Only in added time did Motherwell turn their pressure into serious danger. That came from a series of corners. Goodman had to turn a looping ball over the bar following one corner, and the Dark Blues somehow managed to clear from a frightening goalmouth scramble from the next corner.
The final scare was in the final minute of added time when Goodman and Well substitute Eythor Bjørgolfsson collided. Goodman required treatment for a couple of minutes before he could continue. There were hopeful appeals for a penalty, but referee Ross Hardie was not called to the VAR screen to review it.
The final whistle was met with delight and huge relief that the Dark Blues had held out for three points, which they deserved on balance of chances created. The two halves of the match were completely different. In the first half, after that quiet start, Dundee thrilled the fans as they attacked with speed and flair. The second half was a matter of digging in to grind out the points. The attacking players deserve great credit for that first half, but there’s no doubt that it was the defence that earned Dundee the points in the end.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks with bad injuries and late goals conceded. This win, and the manner in which it was achieved, was exactly the tonic needed to carry the club into the three week break.
Dundee FC 4-4-2
Owen Goodman
Drey Wright, Ryan Astley, Owen Bevan, Imari Samuels
Alan Forrest, Callum Jones (Brad Halliday 71), Ethan Hamilton (c), Jack Moorhouse (Joe Bevan 61)
Bradley Fink (Bobby Wales 71), Joe Westley (Idris Odutayo 86)
Unused substitutes: Kieran O’Hara (gk), Matai Akinmboni, Ashton Leiper, Charley Oosenbrugh, Ryan Bland.
Goals: Westley (23 pen), Fink (40).
Booked: Goodman (timewasting).
Motherwell 4-2-2-2
Paulsen
Sparrow (c), Girdwood-Reich, Moormann, Longelo (Williams 65)
Fadinger, Hodge
Maswahise (Bjørgolfsson 86), Lowry (Vogt 86)
Palmer-Houlden (Kanga 76), Said (Charles-Cook 76)
Unused subs: Connelly (gk), O’Donnell, Knight-Lebel, Levitt.
Goals: Lowry (45).
Booked: Williams (foul on Wright).
Attendance: 5,318.
Referee: Ross Hardie. Assistants: Ross Macleod, Calum Spence. VAR: Greg Aitken. Assistant VAR: Peter Stuart. 4th Official: Euan Birch.
Report: James Christie.
