Dundee 2-3 Motherwell: Moses Ebiye's winner keeps top-six dream alive
- Published
Theo Bair rounded the keeper to score his 13th league goal of the season
Moses Ebiye's 93rd-minute winner completed an incredible Motherwell comeback from two goals down as they beat Dundee amid controversial scenes to keep their Scottish Premiership top-six hopes alive.
The visitors were unhappy about referee David Dickinson's decision to deem the pitch playable after two inspections and found themselves two down after Jordan McGhee and Luke McCowan scored for the hosts.
However, the unlikely comeback began when Georgie Gent tucked in a rebound after Theo Bair's missed penalty, with the Canadian striker scoring himself two minutes later.
And debutant Ebiye got a scarcely-believable winner, volleying in Jack Vale's cross in stoppage time.
"It's symptomatic of the week it's been, the lead-up to the game, all the talk and everything else," manager Stuart Kettlewell told BBC Sport Scotland.
"I'm just so proud of the players, their reaction and response. We were renowned with that for a spell, for doing that often.
"I'd rather be ahead, but to find a way back into that game and win it in the fashion we did... it looked a long way back after their second goal."
The win means Motherwell stay eighth and know victory over Hibernian next weekend would clinch a top-six place if Dundee lose their final two matches before the split.
It seemed all the drama in this game would come before kick-off, as Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell complained of a "ridiculous" few days in which the much-maligned pitch was inspected on three separate occasions.
Whispers abounded. The game was off. Then if was on. Then back on again. But eventually it went ahead, even after Motherwell lodged a complaint with the SPFL before a ball was even kicked.
Their mood wasn't helped by the first half. It was the wind, not the rain, that threatened to turn this game turgid but Dundee made better weather of it.
McGhee headed in from close range after Amadou Bakayoko's headed cut-back, then it got worse in the 70th minute when Liam Kelly could only watch as McCowan curled the ball into his net direct from a corner.
But Motherwell have forged a reputation of not giving up this season.
They hit back quickly when Joe Shaughnessy was penalised for a handball in his own box. Jon McCracken saved Bair's penalty, but Gent was quickest to react.
Dickinson wasn't happy, though. It seemed he'd given a Dundee free-kick. Encroachment appeared to the problem. The replay showed nothing doing, and the goal was given.
Moments later, Bair made amends. A simple clearance saw him one-on-one after he'd shrugged off a Dundee defender. He chopped one way, then another, sat down the keeper, and rolled the ball home.
A draw wasn't enough though, and Motherwell knew it. Dundee were collapsing around them, unable to stem the waves of attack, and a winner felt inevitable.
Vale whipped in a cross and Moses, on for his Motherwell debut, placed his volley into the bottom corner to spark mad scenes in the away end and complete another miracle.
Player of the Match - Theo Bair (Motherwell)
Missed a few good chances, but his mere presence on the pitch gives Motherwell confidence. Worth his weight in gold.
Dundee disintegrate as Motherwell fightback again - analysis
At 2-0, Dundee seemed pretty comfortable without ever really impressing all that much.
They'd been a little more clinical, even if the second goal was a complete fluke, and they'd stopped Motherwell creating too many clear cut opportunities.
Yet, only those with short memories would have sat comfortably at Dens. That's because Dundee have lost 22 points from winning positions in the league this season - more than any other team.
As soon as the first goal was eventually given, they folded in on themselves, and Motherwell could have found their winner long before the 93rd minute.
And perhaps their record of picking up points from losing positions - 18 this season - means it's no surprise that the comeback was completed.
They have a habit of scoring late on - 18 goals this season in the last 15 minutes - and their substitutes score more than any other team in the league bar Celtic.
What they said
Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "It's a sore one. We're really hurting. Obviously you don't know others' results at the time but we were 14 minutes from the top six.
"We were really comfortable at 2-0 so we should see the game out. Certainly the momentum swings on the VAR decision but I would trust my players to see that out.
"The one positive to come from the disappointing last 14 minutes is to see the league table and realise we still have an opportunity to do what we need to do."
What's next?
Dundee are due to host Rangers on Wednesday (20:00 BST), pitch conditions dependant. They then visit Aberdeen on Saturday, while Motherwell welcome Hibernian (15:00).