Motherwell secure top-flight survival with dramatic victory over Dundee

STV News

03-05-2025

Tawanda Maswanhise headed a stoppage-time winner as 10-man Motherwell secured William Hill Premiership safety with a 2-1 victory at Dundee.
The substitute sealed a second-half comeback despite Johnny Koutroumbis receiving a VAR-assisted red card in the 80th minute.
Dundee had taken a half-time lead through a brilliant strike from Antonio Portales, who soon had a second goal disallowed.
But Tom Sparrow levelled with Motherwell's first shot on target in the 59th minute and the visitors showed ambition after going down to 10 men.
They came close on several occasions before Maswanhise rose to head Dom Thompson's back-post cross into the top corner in the first minute of time added on.
The win moved the Steelmen 10 points above second-bottom Ross County with three games left while Dundee remain in a precarious position, two points ahead of the Staggies.
Aston Oxborough was back in the Motherwell goal for the first time since breaking a bone in his hand in early January and he made his mark early on with an excellent stop from Oluwaseun Adewumi before getting up to save Ziyad Larkeche's follow-up.
The goalkeeper then pushed away Joe Shaughnessy's header but he was motionless as Portales volleyed into the top corner from 16 yards in the 31st minute after a long throw.
It was the Mexican defender's first league goal of the season and he looked like he had doubled his tally after another long throw.
Portales hit an equally-impressive strike into the same part of the net with his left foot but the goal was disallowed by the VAR team for offside against Clark Robertson in the build-up.
Motherwell were lacking a cutting edge and Callum Slattery failed to hit the target from their only two chances of note in the first half, hitting the first over the bar and being tackled by Shaughnessy as he weighed up a shot.
Well boss Michael Wimmer brought on Maswanhise at the interval but there was little immediate improvement in the visitors' threat and Oxborough saved from Lyall Cameron.
But Motherwell levelled as Sparrow got his second goal in as many games. Lennon Miller's run into the box made the difference and Sparrow steered the ball into the roof of the net when the ball broke.
Josh Mulligan fired over from the edge of the Motherwell box and Cameron turned the ball just past his own goal following Maswanhise's square ball as both sides looked for a winner.
The game seemed to have tipped in Dundee's favour when referee Kevin Clancy was called to the monitor by video assistant Callum Scott to re-examine a late tackle from Koutroumbis on Larkeche.
Clancy had not awarded a free-kick but he booked the Australian before then upgrading the punishment to a red after studying the footage.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Motherwell looked the more threatening side in the closing stages.
Substitute Ewan Wilson had a shot turned past the post by Trevor Carson and Dan Casey headed off the bar from the resulting corner.
Maswanhise then stunned the home support and could have added to Motherwell's lead on the counter-attack before being denied by Carson and seeing Casey knock the rebound wide with the goal gaping.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country