Superb show by Steelmen stuns United

Jan 21 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

WHAT an SPL season this is turning out to be!

No sooner had Aberdeen knocked four goals past champions Celtic at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon to blow the title race wide open than the Steelmen had done likewise to Dundee United an hour later, which means the two automatic UEFA Cup spots are now very much up for grabs.

Which result was more of a shock is open to debate. For most it will be the Dons’ thrashing of Celtic but this observer will point to events 60 miles south of the Granite City and argue that the Steelmen’s efforts against United were much more of a surprise.

After all The Terrors had lost only one match since mid-September, while Celtic’s opponents had won seven of their last eight games.

What is not open to debate is the fact that ’Well are back - back in the chase, incredibly, for a European place and back playing the kind of football that the Fir Park faithful enjoyed feasting on throughout last season.

Remember it was only at Christmas time that Motherwell looked set to be fighting it out in a relegation scrap for the remainder of this campaign.

A morale-sapping defeat to Hamilton on December 20 left Motherwell joint bottom of the SPL but since then they have recorded victories over Inverness, Hearts and now Dundee United.

They should also have taken all three points at Love Street against St Mirren in their first match of 2009 but nevertheless they remain unbeaten this calendar year.

Three first-half goals in a devastating 10-minute spell rendered this game over bar the shouting by half-time. Firecrackers were even going off in the Motherwell end of the ground before the official interval entertainment had begun.

It had all started so positively for United as they dominated the opening exchanges, with Warren Feeney afforded two good chances early on, one a volley straight at Graeme Smith and the other a header that went across the face of goal.

From the 23nd minute onwards, however, it was one-way traffic after Motherwell opened the scoring when Marc Fitzpatrick was able to head into the corner of goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska’s goal.

Paul Quinn sent a tremendous cross to the back post and Fitzpatrick was allowed acres of space to nod the ball home superbly.

It could have been 2-0 three minutes later, when Scott Robertson had to head a Clarkson lob off the goal-line.

Craig Levein’s side could not get out their own half and the Fir Parkers’ lead was doubled five minutes after the opener.

On-loan midfielder Maros Klimpl, something of a revelation since his recent switch from central defender to holding midfielder, had just seen Zaluska make a fantastic save from his volley.

Moments later, the Slovak again picked the ball up on the edge of the box, this time sending a crisp shot low into the corner of the net

David Clarkson made Zaluska work again before he scored the best goal of the game.

Whilst attempting to pass the ball out of defence, Gary Kenneth was easily shunted off it by Chris Porter, who then fed Jim O’Brien.

The midfielder played a delightfully weighted pass to Clarkson and the Scotland internationalist let the ball run past him with a superb dummy that allowed him the time and space the thrash a shot high past Zaluska from the left-hand side of the area.

Craig Levein tried to cajole the home support at half-time into offering their help in what he was hoping would be United’s version of The Great Escape but it did little to change the momentum of this match.

Two minutes after the restart, Porter should have made in 4-0 when Clarkson capitalised on another Kenneth error to cut the ball across the face of goal, but he failed to make contact.

The in-demand hit man made up for this in the 64th minute when he got his ninth goal of the season.

United substitute Danny Swanson played a loose pass towards Willo Flood which was cut out by Marc Fitzpatrick, in for the suspended Keith Lasley. He played Porter through and the Englishman drilled the ball into the net.

’Well boss Mark McGhee said after the match: “I have been telling people around me all week that we have looked as good as we have done since I have been here. We came here on the back of some good results and I thought this was possible.

“To win 4-0 was convincing and the result may have been a surprise but not the performance. It is as good as any since I have been here.”

With Motherwell in this rich vein of form, expect a similar scoreline against Inverurie Locos this evening (Wednesday) in their re-arranged Scottish Cup fourth-round tie.

Dundee United: Zaluska, Dillon, Wilkie, Kenneth, Dixon, Gomis, Scott Robertson (Swanson 58), Flood (David Robertson 72), Conway, Feeney, Daly (Sandaza 61).

Motherwell: Smith, Quinn, Reynolds, Craigan, Hammell, O'Brien (McGarry 72), Hughes, Klimpl, Fitzpatrick, Porter (Darren Smith 83), Clarkson (Murphy 72).

Atttendance: 7090.