MOTHERWELL got their spectacular revival under Stuart Kettlewell back on track by stunning a woeful Hibernian outfit.
The impressive Sean Goss got things rolling for the visitors with a stunning free-kick, before Kevin Van Veen’s penalty squirmed under David Marshall to double their advantage.
Kevin Nisbet got one back to briefly give Hibs hope, but Van Veen cracked home yet another free kick to ensure the Fir Park men left Edinburgh with the three points they thoroughly deserved.
Here are five talking points from Easter Road…
GOSS PUTS ON MIDFIELD MASTERCLASS
Perhaps not words Motherwell fans are used to reading. It would be fair to say that the midfielder’s contributions for his side sometimes go under the radar, though he was rewarded for a creditable season to date with a call-up for Northern Ireland’s recent European Championship qualifiers.
There was no keeping his part in Motherwell’s bright start under wraps here though, as the midfielder eyed up a promising free-kick position on the edge of the Hibs box after Jake Doyle-Hayes fouled Dean Cornelius.
Van Veen looked favourite to hit it, but Goss stepped up instead and curled a delicious effort into Marshall’s top left-hand corner off the underside of the bar. It was his first of the season, and what a way to get it.
Over and above that, he was buzzing around the midfield, breaking forward to intercept and showing an impressive passing range too, benefiting from the energy and insurance of Cornelius beside him in the middle of the park.
Towards the end, he even got out to bravely charge down a Hibs free-kick and ensure there wasn’t a nervous end to the game for his team and their travelling band of supporters. An outstanding display.
WHO’D BE A GOALIE?
If it wasn’t for David Marshall in the home goal, Motherwell could have been home and hosed by half-time, denying Van Veen when he was clean through by spreading himself well, before doing brilliantly to narrow the angle when the Motherwell forward went in on him again, forcing the Dutchman to poke wide.
It all went pear-shaped for the former Scotland keeper after the break though. His decision to come out and contest a bouncing ball with Blair Spittal saw him get it all wrong, cleaning out the Motherwell man and conceding a clear penalty.
He almost denied Van Veen again from the spot, the striker getting away with a poor effort that Marshall flopped down on, but somehow allowed to squirm under his body and into the net for Motherwell’s second of the day.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Van Veen would also have the last laugh in their personal duel, which also included a little bit of handbags out on the touchline, making sure to walk past the keeper looking mightily smug after smashing home a brilliant free-kick for Motherwell’s third.
SHAPESHIFT GOES AWRY FOR HIBS
Lee Johnson’s decision to match up to Motherwell’s 3-5-2 played into the visitor’s hands, with the home players a lot less assured in their roles and what they were supposed to be doing than Kettlewell’s men.
The Hibs players didn’t know who was supposed to be tracking who, Motherwell were blocking their passing lanes with ease and they couldn’t get their attacking weapons into the game.
After a simple ball over the top put Van Veen through for the second time in the match just before the interval, Johnson had finally seen enough, and reverted to a back four. It wasn’t until he finally shifted to a 4-2-4 after Nisbet’s counter for Hibs that the hosts actually looked like anything approaching a cohesive unit.
Johnson may regret giving the visitors such a head start.
VAN VEEN, GOAL MACHINE
Considering the way that Motherwell were playing for long spells of the season, the fact that Van Veen has managed to bang home so many goals is hugely impressive, and his brace here brought him to the 20-mark for the season.
Ok, he was more than a little fortunate to see his penalty dribble home, but he gave Marshall absolutely no chance with his second, curling a stinging free-kick across goal and into the bottom corner after Will Fish had fouled new ‘Well signing Harry Paton.
Where would the Fir Park side be without him? Given that the closest contributors of goals to the forward are Spittal and Stuart McKinstry with four, then they likely wouldn’t now be sitting in a position of relative comfort after so long in the doldrums.
KEVIN NISBET GETS CUSTOMARY GOAL, BUT HIBS MISSED ELIE YOUANN
After hitting a hat-trick at Fir Park in January, there was a fair chance that Nisbet would be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on Motherwell once more, and though the new-look ‘Well backline did marshal him a little better this time around, he still managed to get on the scoresheet.
His movement was the key to unlocking that defence, who had barely been troubled before Nisbet drifted off the back of Callum Butcher to meet a floated Chris Cadden cross and bury a header beyond a helpless Liam Kelly.
Hibs missed the pace of the suspended Youann though. With little else happening for them in the game up until that goal, his pace would have at least given them the option of going over the top and stretching the visitors.
Without that weapon at their disposal, Hibs were largely one dimensional, and ultimately were well beaten.
