A double from Louis Moult either side of the break gave Motherwell a deserved 2-0 win over Aberdeen. It was a terrific performance and the perfect tonic ahead of the League Cup final.
It did not take long for our dominance to show as we grabbed control right from the kick-off. A corner and three direct shots on target had Lewis throwing himself to protect his goal before five minutes had elapsed. We kept up the tempo, won every second ball and took the lead shortly before half time. Aberdeen hardly raised a gallop.
Bigirimana and Campbell were dropped from the initial line-up as Bowman and Grimshaw stepped up. We shaped up with a a back four and placed Cadden in an advanced position just behind the striking pair.
Rarely will the home side have been so completely outplayed as they were in the first period yet they may have survived unscathed after 45 minutes had Considine not given us a free kick. He used a hand to force the ball into touch and got a yellow card for his error. Tait launched a diagonal free kick from 35 yards and found Moult rising at the far post. His header came back across goal and the net bulged.
The second goal was a well worked. Cadden was released on the right wing and raced with his U21 team-mate McKenna over 30 yards. Our man whipped in a low cross from the corner as Moult arrived at the near post. Our on-form strilker got the flick despite the defender's attention and the ball soared into the net.
Bowman, already booked, was immediately replaced by Frear and we closed out the game. Aberdeen were wasteful in possession and lacked any forward threat. Carson and his defenders earned the easiest clean sheet of the season.
We could not have hoped for a better result before next week's trip to Hampden. If we can approach that game with the same attitude there is every chance of a haapy ending.
Aberdeen 0 Motherwell 2
Attendance 14,013
Team: Carson, Tait, Grimshaw (Campbell 70), Hartley, Cadden, McHugh, Moult (Fisher 98), Bowman (Frear 56), Dunne, Kipre