St. Mirren Vs Motherwell — st. mirren vs motherwell: Motherwell put five past Saints in Paisley

In a heavy downpour at the SMiSA Stadium, st. mirren vs motherwell finished 0-5 as Motherwell produced a dominant performance that left St Mirren shellshocked. The attendance was 6, 758 and the visitors scored through Elijah Just, Tawanda Maswanhise, Ibrahim Said, Emmanuel Longelo and Eythor Bjorgolfsson.

St. Mirren Vs Motherwell: Match Overview

Motherwell bounced back from their Scottish Cup exit at Aberdeen and recorded their biggest victory of a hugely impressive William Hill Premiership campaign. Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance, back in Paisley 48 years after he was sacked by Saints. The visiting fans chanted "We're gonna win the league" as Motherwell produced a 71 per cent possession performance with 92 per cent passing accuracy.

Scorers and key moments

Elijah Just opened the scoring in the 14th minute, firing into the bottom corner after a sequence of blocked shots. Tawanda Maswanhise doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 30th minute after he was felled by a reckless challenge from Saints goalkeeper Shamal George. Ibrahim Said added a third before Richard King was sent off in the 52nd minute for an off-the-ball incident. Emmanuel Longelo added a fourth and Norwegian striker Eythor Bjorgolfsson fired a spectacular first goal for the club to complete the five-goal rout.

Red card, penalty and saves

There were big chances inside three minutes: Jake Young got down the side and forced a diving save from Callum Ward, while Maswanhise had earlier guided Longelo's teasing cross just wide. Conor McMenamin later made progress down the right and again drew a save from Ward. The penalty that made it 2-0 followed Maswanhise being felled by Shamal George; the red card for Richard King came later, after the visitors were already in command.

Tactics, form and streaks

St Mirren had kept a clean sheet in four of their latest five games before this match, but the roof fell in tonight. Motherwell have now kept 12 clean sheets and conceded just three goals in their last 15 league games. They have now lost only three league games; only second-top Rangers have lost fewer. The visitors are unbeaten in their latest four visits to SMiSA Stadium, all without conceding, and have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 league visits.

Manager comment and reaction

Jens Berthel Askou had said before kick-off that "we still have that little bit of feeling of revenge" after Motherwell were beaten 4-1 by St Mirren in the League Cup semi-final earlier this season. Former Hibernian and Dundee United midfielder John Rankin summed up the broader picture: "That type of performance can really kick you on. The only thing is, they are running out of games. If they win their game in hand, they are seven points behind Hearts and they still have Rangers and Celtic to play as well. " Manager reaction is expected on the St Mirren and Motherwell club pages.

Wider Premiership context

The result moved Motherwell 10 points off leaders Hearts with a game in hand, while St Mirren sit just two points above the danger zone. Earlier in the day, Hearts went five points clear at the top by beating Falkirk, Chesnokov poking in the only goal shortly before the interval. Aberdeen lost 2-3 to Dundee: Olusanya netted the opener, Murray levelled with a penalty after Morrison was sent off for a last-man foul on Yogane, Cotterill forced in a second, Nisbet equalised with a free-kick and Hamilton restored the lead. Dundee United drew 1-1 with Kilmarnock: Fatah had a first-half penalty saved before curling in a fine strike after the interval, Watkins netted a late leveller and Thomson was sent off.

Full-time readouts summed up the match: St Mirren 0-5 Motherwell — Just, Maswanhise penalty and Said had visitors cruising before King sent off then Longelo & Bjorgolfsson net. Highlights will be shown at 22: 25. In Paisley, Motherwell rained on St Mirren's parade with a flood of goals to keep their fairytale season going; now they sit four points behind third-top Celtic, who play tomorrow along with second-top Rangers.

Motherwell's commanding victory leaves both clubs with clear talking points as the league reaches the run-in and fixtures become ever more consequential.