Theo Bair was on target again as Motherwell recovered from a goal down to claim a 1-1 draw against St Mirren at Fir Park.
The Canadian international bundled the ball over the line with 16 minutes left to draw the Steelmen level in an entertaining encounter that could have gone either way.
The visitors struck the bar twice before breaking the deadlock when Marcus Fraser took advantage of some poor defending to head home Greg Kiltie’s corner after 18 minutes.
Motherwell’s chances of claiming a place in the top-six have all but gone after failing to win for the second successive home fixture, while Saints remain in fifth, two points behind fourth-placed Kilmarnock
The hosts were quick out of the traps and almost went ahead on four minutes when a wonderful pass from Andy Halliday released Georgie Gent who had his effort turned on to the post.
Bair was quickest to the rebound but he would see his shot blocked and despite pleas from the home players, a short VAR check would deem that the ball had not struck the hand of James Bolton.
Surviving a close scare seemed to jolt the visitors into life and a minute later, Olutoyosi Olusanya outmuscled Gent before being denied by a good stop from Liam Kelly.
The home side had the crossbar to thank twice in the space of 30 seconds as Ryan Strain struck the frame of the goal and Mikael Mandron followed up by heading the rebound inches too high.
St Mirren had a grip on proceedings and would deservedly open the scoring after 18 minutes following poor communication between Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell that led to a softly conceded corner.
Kiltie floated across the resulting set-piece and despite Halliday getting a slight touch on the ball, Fraser was on hand to nod it home at the back-post.
There was an early change for the visitors when Bolton hobbled off to be replaced by Richard Taylor.
Scott Tanser blazed over from a promising position after indecision in the home defence, before Motherwell had a chance of their own as Halliday forced an excellent save from Zach Hemming.
Both Olusanya and Halliday had opportunities in the closing stages of an entertaining first half – and there were chances at both ends following the restart.
Bair was unable to make proper contact with Gent’s tantalising delivery which allowed Hemming to gather, while at the other end, Dan Casey was able to divert Olusanya’s angled drive away for a corner.
Both sides looked to their bench in order to freshen things up and it almost paid dividends for Stephen Robinson when Keanu Baccus sent a curling effort just wide of the target.
Motherwell would level with 16 minutes remaining as Jack Vale’s cross was nodded back across goal by O’Donnell and Bair was in the right place to bundle the ball over the line.
It was all set up for a dramatic conclusion and Mandron dragged a shot inches wide as the visitors almost came up with the perfect response.
Gent had proven to be a constant threat for the Steelmen throughout the afternoon and he almost turned provider again with a dangerous cross that somehow evaded everyone inside the box.
Chances came and went for Blair Spittal and then Mark O’Hara in the final minutes but neither side would be able to come up with a vital winner.
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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