Motherwell

We asked for your views on Motherwell's 2-1 win against Livingston.

Here's what some of you said:

Mark: Elijah Just take a bow! What a game from the guy and what a goal! First half of the game was questionable but the turnaround for the second 45 minutes was outstanding. Dreadful performance from the referee however, the standard of officiating in Scotland needs changing.

James: Not our finest performance, but a much needed win. Callum Slattery made a big difference, Just was tremendous. Take the win any day of the week.

Ross: Another match, another baffling VAR decision. The operators are determined to ruin the product on display by their inability to implement it correctly. Thankfully, justice was done in the end otherwise the fallout would be much worse. A much welcomed three points.

Brian: Not at our best by any means at all but three points at last, Just was immense, not for the first time this season, he took the game by the horns and ran the show.

Grant: Was a tough watch at times but we got the three points, great to have players back from injury and hopefully we can build on the result with Dundee United in midweek and the cup game on Saturday.

John: Massive result, as great performances and no results builds pressure on everyone. Beat United and St Mirren this week and it could create a great season. Come on the 'Well!

Taylor: First half was the worst I have watched this season and the second half against Falkirk was hard to beat. Livingston will be gutted as they were the better team. Motherwell are playing great football until it reaches the final third but unfortunately it's results that matter and we haven't had enough wins. It's frustrating watching us struggle against recently promoted teams. Wednesday will be a good test before a tough semi-final. Jens Berthel Askou drop Calum Ward, too many bomb scare moments, and give Aston Oxborough game time.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Elijah Just says Motherwell are "already thinking about Wednesday" following their dramatic victory over Livingston.

After being denied by the offside flag, Just scored the winning goal for Jens Berthel Askou's side in West Lothian to move the Fir Park club up to sixth in the Premiership table.

They face Dundee United on Wednesday night before Saturday's League Cup semi-final against St Mirren.

"We're really happy, but already we're thinking about Wednesday and our next fixture," Just said.

"When the games are coming so fast we're just looking at game after game and we have to keep playing well.

"I think we're playing well, but we've left a lot of points on the table so we need to keep working hard. When the results go our way a little bit better I'll enjoy it even more.

"Where we are in the table and the congestion of teams, three points is really important. We will take care of Wednesday and then look ahead to the weekend."

Elijah Just provided a dramatic moment of inspiration as his injury-time winner earned Motherwell a thrilling last-gasp Scottish Premiership win over Livingston.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou tells BBC Scotland: "A lot of emotions there. We went through a very difficult game. Big credit to Livingston for really making it hard for us.

"They were a threat all the way through and we had to provide two big moments to make sure we won. The first half lacked quality, but we stepped up second half.

"It wasn't perfect, but it became better, and we lifted out quality in the small moments which led to two goals.

"Elijah is a very good player, who has started very well for us, and hopefully that continues. It was good to see Slats [Slattery[ back, we've missed him. There was some moments of light for us today, and the win is massive.

"Every day is a step in the right direction. Every day there are bumps, last week was a bump. Today, there were plenty of bumps but we got over them.

"We need to look at things we can improve, we have to. We had full control in the first 15 to 20 minutes, but we made it open.

"Big credit to Davie and Livingston also deserved something from this game after that performance, but we were sharper in the decisive moments. That decided the game today."

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Three changes to the Motherwell side after their topsy-turvy loss by Falkirk last week.

Liam Gordon and Stephen O'Donnell return to defence, replacing Paul McGinn and Johnny Koutroumbis.

Up top, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos comes in for Callum Hendry, looking to keep up his good goalscoring form after three goals in his past three Premiership games.

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Livingston are set to hand a debut to Joshua Brenet, while Danny Wilson and Lewis Smith are expected to shake off knocks.

But Shane Blaney and Adam Montgomery will miss out and Connor McLennan is likely to sit out the game with a head knock. Cammy Kerr (ankle), Ryan McGowan (illness) and Aidan Denholm (hamstring) remain on the sidelines.

Motherwell have Callum Slattery back in their squad, leaving long-term absentees Sam Nicholson, Filip Stuparevic (both knee), Eseosa Sule, Jordan McGhee (both thigh) and Zach Robinson (Achilles) as the only players missing.

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Motherwell striker Callum Hendry says Motherwell must quickly learn lessons from recent results if they are to make progress.

Jens Berthel Askou's side have received plenty of praise for their easy-on-the-eye style this season, but have dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Scottish Premiership and sit 10th with one win from eight matches.

They face bottom side Livingston on Saturday and Hendry says they must be more ruthless when on top.

"It's a weird one," Hendry said. "I've not experienced it before, where I'm in a team that's playing so well that aren't getting what they deserve.

"The Falkirk game, probably the first 50-55 minutes, we controlled that game. The first half was one of the best halves I've been a part of in terms of football, in terms of style.

"You can blame officials and decisions from the game, but we have to put the game to bed quicker than we did.

"There's a lot of young lads in this team, so it's important that we learn quickly from those games.

"The gaffer's making adjustments, we're looking at it in the meeting room, and I think it will change soon.

"We could pop a team off the park for 75 minutes, they're still going to be there for the last 15. You rarely see teams give up in this league. It's just how we handle that pressure better, because you're not going to batter a team for 95 minutes.

"So it's important we learn how to deal with when we're on the back foot as well, and control games better."

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• Livingston have won just one of their past 14 league meetings with Motherwell (D4 L9), a 2-0 victory in October 2023.

• Motherwell have only lost one of their past seven league visits to Livingston (W3 D3), winning their latest 3-1 in February 2024.

• Livingston's Scottish Premiership games this season have featured more goals (28 – 10 for, 18 against) than any other side.

• Motherwell have lost more points from winning positions in the

• Premiership this season (12) than any other side, losing both of their past two league games despite leading each time.

• Against Falkirk last time out, Tawanda Maswanhise scored his 10th league goal for Motherwell. Aged 22 years and 332 days, he was the youngest player to reach double figures for league goals for the club since Allan Campbell in March 2020 (21y 244d), and youngest non-Scottish player since Henrik Ojamaa in April 2013 (21y 334d).

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Jens Berthel Askou wants Motherwell to sharpen up defensively as he insisted last weekend's controversy against Falkirk would not derail their progress.

The Steelmen led 1-0 at half-time but were denied another first-half goal when Ibrahim Said was penalised for a foul on Brad Spencer after a VAR intervention, despite appearing to simply shield the ball from his opponent.

Motherwell's frustration was compounded when Falkirk turned the game on its head to win 2-1.

Askou was reluctant to divulge details of conversations, but Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum reportedly apologised to the club over the decision.

The Motherwell boss said: "There are some people in the club who have been in contact and I would say nothing of what I've watched again or have heard from even more clever people than me around the rule book has led me to call Ibby into my office and say, 'I need you to do something else in that situation'.

"I will tell him any day of the week that he should do the same thing. And then we'll just hope that it will go our way next time. I expect it to do."

The defeat means Motherwell have lost 12 points from winning positions in their past six Scottish Premiership matches.

"We can't do anything more about the game than look for patterns, anything recurring that we need to look into," said Askou.

"The bottom line of that is that there are things we cannot control that will sometimes not go our way, and the answer to that is it's not going to stop us going where we want to go. It might set us back a week or create a little bump on the road, but it's not going to stop us.

"And then there are things that we can control and that we have to improve.

"We've conceded in general a little bit too many goals. We are a team that can score goals and create chances, and we will score more goals when we get even sharper.

"The big thing for us is to be even more effective defensively as well. Be stronger and more disciplined, sharper and just better individually and as a group in terms of taking the moments around the game and really look after them and make sure we don't give away more goals than we have to.

"That's something that we have been working on and now we've enhanced that focus during this week."

Motherwell winger Elijah Just admits he was warned to be wary of a move to Scottish football, but has exceeded his expectations with his early-season form.

The New Zealand international joined in the summer from Danish top-flight club Horsens, where Jens Berthel Askou previously managed, and has already made an impact at the Fir Park club with three assists - more than any other Well player - in six league appearances so far.

Askou's side fell to 10th in the table at the weekend after a 2-1 loss against Falkirk but Just believes success is not far away as he adapts to the Scottish game after seeking advice from contacts who have played here.

"Anyone I spoke to kind of said the same thing," the 25-year-old told club media.

"They said to be careful going to Scotland because it may not be best suited to me. I've exceeded my expectations so far in terms of how well we've played, but the most important bit is being effective in getting results.

"I do think the way we're playing is conducive to getting good results, and it's so impressive to see the fans on board. Everyone can feel the belief they have in us, which is a huge help.

"Coming into the start of the season, there were things I had to prove, which was making sure I was working hard and fighting for everything.

"As a smaller player, especially in Scotland, you can't just be the player with the ball. So I'm making a real effort to work hard off the ball and fight to help with what the team needs.

"The players are doing so much hard work at the back to get me in the right positions, so when I get it, I try to be confident. It hasn't been thinking on my part, just enjoying it.

"I think we need to be more ruthless against teams that sit deep. The way we play is dependent on us; if we play well, we don't need much luck to get the job done. We'll always have a good chance.

"There's positive we can pull from each game so far, and we're just a tiny bit away from clicking fully."

New Zealand will play in the World Cup next summer for the first time in 16 years but Just insists his focus for now remains on the Scottish top flight.

"The scope and the magnitude of the World Cup won't hit home until I'm there," he added.

"At the moment, it's not looking too far ahead and just looking after the club games.

"There's a lot of travel involved when it comes to playing for New Zealand, even more now I'm in Scotland. But I'll do whatever to play for my country."

Jenna Thomson
Fan writer

How is it possible that we are playing some of the most entertaining and best football in the country yet are incapable of winning?

I have no complaints about our tactics or style of play, but something isn't clicking.

The harsh reality is we can't afford to keep dropping points. The latest disappointment was galling as we put ourselves in a commanding position at home to Falkirk only to collapse to defeat in the second half.

It makes Livingston away this Saturday then Dundee United at home the following weekend so much more important as Hampden and the League Cup semi-final looms on the horizon.

A couple of wins in the next two games would be huge. We need to make sure we don't lose belief in ourselves because once that happens it is a slippery slope further down the table.

Watch highlights as Falkirk come from behind to stun Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your thoughts after Motherwell's 2-1 defeat to Falkirk.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Robert: It's becoming a trope, that we receive all the plaudits but none of what matters - points. Our football is joyous to watch at times, yet we ended up getting a proper lesson from the Bairns yesterday, and congratulations to them. Played off the park in the first half, John McGlynn clearly shook things up at half time. Where was our fight when Falkirk equalised early in the second half?

Edward: Once again we implode! It's all fine and good playing the best football in Scotland but the mentality in the last 30 minutes is wrong. We're leading with beautiful football but we need to lock it up towards the end to ensure the win. Don't need to play perfect stuff to score more if we remain open to concede. The result yesterday was a disgrace!

George: Wonderful first half, and a shocking decision to disallow Ibrahim Said's goal. But that's not an excuse for yet again letting a lead slip. A worrying trend that we need to stamp out. Still optimistic for our season though.

Alan: A wonderful first half where Motherwell dominated and they should have gone in 3-0 up. The second half was woeful with missed chances a noted lack of penetration and an inability to take any advantage offered to them. Perhaps their domination from the first half resulted in a complacency in the second half which was their undoing. It must be an attitude thing which needs to be addressed.

Andrew: Hope this is a wake up call. Need to stop wasting chances. Game should have been in the bag by half time.

Mark: The second half was probably some of the worst football I have seen Motherwell play in a long time. Giving balls away like Christmas Day and handing the game to Falkirk. Improvement needed for Livingston. Although that being said, I thought Tawanda Maswanhise and Said played very well, just lacking a clinical edge in attack.

Scott Arfield smashed in a late winner for Falkirk as they came from behind against profligate Motherwell to pick up their second win of the Premiership season.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou: "I'm extremely disappointed with a couple of things. Happy with the first half, I thought we were excellent and scored two beautiful goals. We should have scored another one and I don't think I'm ever going to understand how they disallowed that goal. That's one of the worst VAR decisions I've seen in my career so far - until it got beaten in the second half when Paul McGinn gets pulled just before he's about to hit the ball. That's how it is.

"Looking at our own performance, the first half was fantastic but we were way too messy in the second half. We played an open game when we shouldn't and that let them score some crazy goals. We didn't deliver the quality we should when we put a little bit of pressure on them. We made some bad decisions in the beginning of the second half, we didn't do what we set up to do. We forced our transitions and forced our game on the ball, some technical mistakes and then we weren't good enough at repairing it. We need to perform both halves like the second and we didn't do that today.

"We show up on Monday and then we look at what we need to do better. You move on. Right now we all need to clear our heads a little bit but Monday is a new week, there's a game we need to win next week and that's what we'll set out to do."

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Motherwell have Stephen Welsh, Elijah Just, Tom Sparrow and Callum Hendry back in contention with Callum Slattery set to rejoin full training on Monday. Sam Nicholson, Filip Stuparevic (both knee), Eseosa Sule, Jordan McGhee (both thigh) and Zach Robinson (Achilles) are long-term absentees.

Falkirk's Sam Hart has recovered from a bout of concussion. Aidan Nesbitt, Ethan Ross, Jamie Sneddon remain sidelined along with Coll Donaldson, who has had abdominal surgery and is expected to be out until Christmas.

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Motherwell midfielder Oscar Priestman is getting used to Jens Berthel Askou's "relentless" style of play but is excited for another game on Saturday.

The 22-year-old joined from Australian side Western Sydney in the summer and has made four appearances for the Fir Park club so far.

After narrowly missing out on a draw against champions Celtic just before the international break, Priestman and his teammates are ready to get back on the pitch and show what they can do.

"Especially after a little break everyone has come back refreshed and reinvigorated," he said.

"We can't wait to get back out there and hopefully get a win.

"It's still early in the season and we're building each day but I can see there's been improvement in the time I've been there.

"We'll just try and get better and better and I think once it fully clicks we'll be really good."

Askou's side have been praised for their brave, attacking style of play, particularly in the game against Celtic when Motherwell stuck to their approach and played out from the back.

Priestman says he's been enjoying a new style, even if there's challenges.

"Especially back home I played in a different system but there is that relentless nature to keep going," he added.

"We have our style and we'll stick to it but it's exciting to play in that system."

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Motherwell have sold more than 7,000 tickets for their Premier Sports Cup semi-final against St Mirren.

The Fir Park club are in their second League Cup last four in the space of two seasons, but have sold 600 tickets more than they had by this point 12 months ago for their 2-1 defeat by Rangers.

The Hampden tie is on 1 November (1730 GMT), with manager Jens Berthel Askou refusing to join in with the excitement just yet.

"We'll probably sell quite a few more, which is amazing," he said.

"A lot of people are looking forward to that, we're focusing on the next job that's on Saturday.

"Obviously we know it's in the calendar, but we're not spending that much energy on it now, it's up to you guys and our fans and our staff around, the first team, and we'll get to that when we're there."

Askou welcomes back Elijah Just, Callum Hendry and Tom Sparrow back in full training for Saturday's visit of Premiership newcomers Falkirk, with Callum Slattery also partially back.

"It's just raised the level of the intensity and the quality that we're able to produce in training sessions," he said. "They look really, really eager and really hungry, so it's great to have them back.

"A lot of good players out there competing and lifting the level, which is extremely positive.

"We've been waiting for a couple of weeks, so good times."