Aberdeen 0 v 3 Motherwell
Pittodrie
SPFL 20/09/20
Aberdeen hadn’t conceded a goal in over six hours of football then conceded three in the space of eighteen minutes as Motherwell battered the Dons at Pittodrie in the Scottish Premiership.
Over 380 minutes of football had passed between Scott Pittman’s consolation goal for Livingston scored in the 69th minute almost a month ago, and Mark O’Hara putting away a penalty against Joe Lewis within four minutes of today’s game as Marley Watkins was harshly penalised for handball in the box.
Motherwell scored further goals through Chris Long and Bevis Mugabi as an unsettled Aberdeen backline collapsed after Scott McKenna was left out the squad to finalise a move to English Championship side Nottingham Forrest.
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Disappointing, but all the best to McKenna
Derek McInnes sounded a forlorn figure at the end of the match after a whirlwind 48-hours left his Dons side looking lacklustre having looked so assured the last six games.
On the game, McInnes said: “The third goal’s offside, that should be said, but Motherwell were by far the better side and looked like the team that had come up to win points. We looked like a team that was just out playing a game football and that for me is the disappointing part.”
McInnes wasn’t blaming the surprising development that star centre-half Scott McKenna would be absent from the game in order to finalise a move to Nottingham Forest, however the manager was left unstuck in figuring what made his side end their unbeaten run in such calamitous style.
McInnes said: “I have to say no (to McKenna leaving affecting the squad) but when you watch the game we certainly don’t look as assured as we have been. I think it would be wrong to say it was just down to that.”
On McKenna, McInnes said he’s a centre-half who is only going to get better as his career continues.
McInnes said about his former defender: “If he does leave he goes with our best wishes. He’s only going to get better. He can have a fantastic career and who’s ever getting him are very lucky to have him.”
Stephen Robinson’s side continue their turn around having won four of the last six after losing four of their opening seven.
The Motherwell manager said: “We believe we have nothing to lose. If we produce the discipline we did in our defensive performance today, our shape was excellent, our distances were excellent and the clinical nature of our finishing, that’s the difference between the start of the season and the last four or five games.
“We took our chances and the boys have had their just rewards today.”
Match recap
It was looking seemless for the Dons with just three changes made to their starting-11 in four matches from the game against Runavik to the team that beat Viking 2-0 midweek. Wedged between those European ties were wins over Hibs and Killie.
Today Aberdeen had to shuffle the pack making three changes with Taylor, Ojo and McGinn coming in for McGeouch, Hoban and want away centre-back Scott McKenna. It was Taylor who looked most off the pace having a nightmare forty-five minutes that saw the defender hooked off at the interval.
McCrorie being made to deputise at right back did not work, with his presence sorely missed in the middle of the park.
By the time McInnes made the change Stephen Robinson’s rejuvenated Motherwell were well on their way to getting their first away premiership win of the campaign. Mark O’Hara opened the scoring within four minutes from the penalty spot after Marley Watkins handballed in the box.
Joe Lewis’ mistake at an attempted clearance let in Mark O’Hara who finished confidently against the Aberdeen captain. Then McCrorie lost Bevis Mugabi at a corner allowing the Ugandan to head home and put the Steelmen three-nil up in twenty-two minutes after four teams were unable to score against the Dons in almost a month of football.
Aberdeen, 4-2-3-1: Lewis, McCrorie, Taylor, Considine, Ferguson, Hayes, Ojo, McGinn, Wright, Hedges, Watkins
Subs: Cerny, Logan, Hoban, Edmondson, Anderson, Hernandez, Campbell, McLennan, McGeouch
Motherwell, 4-4-2: Carson, Grimshaw, Gallagher, Mugabi, Lamie, O’Donnell, Campbell, O’Hara, Polworth, Long, Watt
Sub: McGinley, Crawford, White, Hastie, Hylton, Maguire, Seedorf, Morrison, Lang
Goals: O’Hara 4’, Long 8’, Mugabi 22’
Analysis: McKenna transfer to Notts Forest
How quickly the business of football moves. Scott McKenna was at the heart of the defence in Stavanger on Thursday night when the Dons recorded their fourth clean sheet in a row. Derek McInnes said he was planning the team without McKenna on Saturday with a view to the Scottish international centre-half probably being halfway down the M1 when the Reds and Motherwell stepped onto the pitch on Sunday afternoon.
McInnes has always been realistic about Aberdeen’s place in the pecking order and knows that his best players will be subject to offers. Celtic made a move for McKenna back in 2018 for a reported £3.5m. Hopefully this transfer is somewhere in that ballpark and will help the Dons much needed finance department which, unlike the team, has taken a battering of late.
Up next: Sporting Lisbon, Away, 8pm Thursday, Europa League Qual Rnd3
Aberdeen are meant to face Sporting Lisbon in what’s being described as a ‘historic’ 3rd round qualifying tie for the Dons. However Coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the fixture with nine Sporting players isolating due to fears of contracting the virus. Lisbon insist the game is still ON saying they will play B team and youth players to fill the void in their side. UEFA say Aberdeen won’t find out whether the game goes ahead until 24 hours before kick-off when the team touchdown in Portugal.
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 