Phillipe Clement said Rangers' performance against Motherwell must serve as a reference for the rest of their season after they teed up a Scottish League Cup final clash with Celtic.

Rangers fought back for a 2-1 victory on Sunday, with Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami on target one day after Celtic trounced Aberdeen 6-0 in the first semi-final.

Dessers converted Connor Barron's cross to level things up in the 49th minute, then Bajrami saw his strike deflect home nine minutes from time to ease the pressure on Clement.

The Gers have endured a difficult Premiership season to date and trail rivals Celtic, who they will face in the League Cup final on December 15, by nine points in the table.

Clement, however, believes they can achieve big things if they replicate the performance they produced at Hampden Park on a regular basis.

"We can go where we want to be, which is the final," he told Premier Sports.

"We had that amazing feeling together with the fans last season and we can battle for that again. 

"This needs to be also a reference game for this squad, for this new squad.

"To do what we've been doing a lot last season, to dig in and in every situation to keep our belief, to keep on going, to keep on fighting and to break the wall if we go behind... 

"This can be a massive game at the end of the season to have this one as a reference. I want to see, every three days, this mentality."

Celtic returned to the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a routine 3-0 victory at Motherwell, putting them back above Aberdeen on goal difference.

Brendan Rodgers' Bhoys had been knocked off the summit by the Dons' 1-0 win over Dundee United on Saturday, but they responded by easing to their eighth victory in nine games at Fir Park.

Luke McCowan steered in the opener on his first Celtic start, after Lennon Miller had twice struck the woodwork in the early stages.

Stand-in captain Alistair Johnston then ghosted in to score their second at the back post shortly before the hour mark, with Adam Idah adding a third before Motherwall's Liam Gordon was sent off in stoppage time.

That result piled the pressure on Rangers, who could have ended the weekend nine points adrift of the top two, but they claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox to stay within six.

Mohamed Diomande's powerful close-range finish put the Gers ahead, but Alex Gogic rose to nod in a St Mirren equaliser midway through the first half.

Vaclav Cerny spared their blushes, though, as he scored the winner following good work from Cyriel Dessers in the 69th minute. 

Rangers go to second-placed Aberdeen, who are yet to lose this season, for a huge fixture in the title race on Wednesday.

In Sunday's other Premiership game, teenager James Wilson struck three minutes from time to rescue a point for Hearts in a 1-1 Edinburgh Derby draw at Hibernian.

Mykola Kuharevich had put Hibs ahead on the rebound after Marvin Ekpiteta headed against the crossbar just after the hour mark, but Wilson got the final touch to divert James Penrice's long throw home with stoppage time looming.

The result keeps Hibs rooted to the foot of the table with six points, though they are only behind 11th-placed Hearts on goal difference and still have a game in hand to come.

Vaclav Cerny struck the winner as Rangers ground out a 2-1 win over Motherwell at Hampden Park on Saturday to pick up their first victory of the Scottish Premiership campaign.

The Gers, held 0-0 by Hearts in their opening match of the season last week, survived an early scare when Lennon Miller fired wide from a glorious position in the opening minutes.

However, after Scott Wright had an effort stopped on the line, Cyriel Dessers - who rescued a late European draw against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek - found the net from close range with 13 minutes on the clock.

Motherwell responded instantly as John Souttar failed to cut out a deep delivery and Robin Propper turned into his own net, but fellow new signing Cerny cut inside and curled in a delightful goal seven minutes later.

Aston Oxborough made some smart stops to frustrate Rangers, while Jack Butland was equal to a Zach Robinson effort in the second half as the hosts - playing at Hampden due to ongoing renovation work at Ibrox - saw out a rather flat win.

Data Debrief: 'Home' comforts for Rangers at Hampden

Rangers have now won their opening home league game in each of the past seven seasons by an aggregate score of 22-2, albeit this match was at Hampden rather than Ibrox.

Last week's draw with Hearts was underwhelming, but the Light Blues avoided going back-to-back league games without a win to begin a season for the first time since 1989-90 with this victory.

Nick Montgomery admitted finishing in the bottom six is unacceptable for Hibernian after seeing his side surrender a late lead against Motherwell at Fir Park.

Hibs’ prospects looked optimistic as they were set to move one point ahead of Dundee into sixth in the Scottish Premiership as they led Motherwell 1-0 courtesy of Myziane Maolida’s 64th-minute penalty.

But Shane Blaney fired home a thunderous equaliser in the last minute of added time with Motherwell’s first shot on target as both teams saw their top-six hopes came to an end.

The travelling supporters were furious and vented their anger towards the Hibs players and staff at full-time and Montgomery understands their frustrations.

“It’s not good enough for Hibs,” he said.

“You have to earn the right to get anywhere in football. You have to earn the right to get into the top six. As a club we have failed to hit one of our targets and that was the top six.

“The other two were progress in the cups, which we did to a good level. But the big target was to try and get into the top six. I’ve tried everything I can to get there.

“We’ve had stuff that’s probably been challenging for us, but as a club, yeah, we have to look back at the start of the season, before pre-season, and how we’ve ended up in this position where we’re going into the last game 20 seconds away from the top six.

“It’s 20 seconds away from not being good enough and unfortunately the results – last week as well – have gone against us and it’s really hard to explain how that’s happened.”

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell praised the mentality of his side after another late goal salvaged a draw.

And they could even have won it at the death but Oli Shaw fired wide from a few yards out.

“I thought we snatched it at the end,” said Kettlewell. “It’s probably no surprise to myself or anyone in the room as we’ve become renowned this season for playing to the last whistle.

“We want to be ahead in games but we always rally and we have four strikers and two attackers on the pitch at the end – it was all out attack.

“I thought Oli had put the ball in the net, that was my gut instinct, when he got across the front post. But we left it late over the course for the top six but I can only credit my players.

“People had written us off for the top six and looked at us more towards the bottom of the table but we’ve shown brilliant personality and picked up points.”

Motherwell and Hibernian saw their top-six hopes ended following a high-stakes encounter at Fir Park where the Steelmen snatched a late equaliser in a thrilling finale.

Shane Blaney struck deep into stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw for the hosts after Myziane Maolida had put Hibernian ahead with a 65th-minute penalty.

Both sides entered the encounter with aspirations of finishing in the top six with Motherwell needing a win to have any chance of catching sixth-placed Dundee.

A draw could have sufficed for Hibs – if Dundee lost their last two games – but it ultimately was not enough as Dundee picked up a point against Aberdeen to secure their top-six place ahead of facing Rangers on Wednesday night.

Hibs looked comfortable at Fir Park after taking the lead through Maolida’s second-half penalty but Blaney killed their dreams at the death with a thunderous left-footed finish beyond David Marshall.

Motherwell should have won it just 30 seconds later when Oli Shaw somehow diverted the ball wide from yards out but the result left the Hibs support furious as they made their discontent known towards the players at full-time.

The wind caused havoc for both sides on a blustery afternoon in Lanarkshire and there was a distinct lack of quality on show but a three-minute spell in the second half was pivotal.

Motherwell had the ball in the net through the in-form Theo Bair after 62 minutes following a sublime turn and pass from Lennon Miller but it was ruled out for offside with VAR backing up the linesman’s initial decision.

And just two minutes later, Hibernian were awarded a penalty when Stephen O’Donnell clumsily connected with Will Fish as he attempted to turn and Willie Collum did not hesitate to point to the spot.

Maolida stepped up confidently and rolled the ball past Liam Kelly in front of an ecstatic away support.

However, those same fans were left far from happy at the end following Blaney’s late intervention.

Chances were at a premium in the first half with Chris Cadden coming closest for the visitors when Liam Kelly tipped his powerful effort over the bar while Motherwell failed to click as an attacking threat.

Hibs, however, had the better opportunities after the break with Emiliano Hansen failing to connect properly with a dangerous fizzed cross from Nathan Moriah-Welsh before Elie Youan fired tamely at Kelly just minutes later.

There was a flashpoint after 56 minutes when Rocky Bushiri went down in the box with the travelling contingent screaming for a penalty but ref Collum was unmoved.

The experienced referee booked the Hibs centre-back before a flare-up ensued between both sets of players with Blair Spittal and Martin Boyle also cautioned for their involvement.

The Well Society is pressing ahead with plans for a new supporter-driven era at Motherwell despite uncertainty over the ownership model.

American TV executive Erik Barmack outlined his vision for the Steelmen on Thursday after arriving in Scotland to hold further talks with the club board over proposed investment.

Barmack, a former Netflix vice president who runs his own film production company, is aiming to take a majority shareholding over time, despite saying he does not want to “disempower” the Well Society.

The fan group has only had a majority of representatives on the club board for the past few weeks despite assuming its 71 per cent stake in 2016.

The club are at a major crossroads, with chief executive Brian Caldwell in his second week in the job and chairman Jim McMahon set to retire at the end of the season following 23 years on the board.

Motherwell’s three-man board needs to grow to six to eight members following a recent change to the club’s articles and the recently revamped Well Society board is finalising its approach to supporting Caldwell and other staff at the club, whether that is with or without Barmack.

An update on social media read: “We continued working on The Well Society’s new business plan at our latest board meeting.

“Our members are shaping the proposal – we have identified eight core values based on a survey completed by over 200 Motherwell fans.

“With our expanded board and additional experienced contributors across our workstream groups we are finalising strategies to engage more with members and to play a more assertive role in supporting the club build a comprehensive long-term plan for success on and off the park.

“Aims include improving the matchday experience, encouraging lapsed supporters back and attracting new fans to Motherwell.

“Whatever happens elsewhere in the coming days and weeks, we are preparing for a bright new future with supporters at the heart of a renewed sense of purpose around our club.

“We are excited to be able to share the plans in the coming weeks.”

Barmack is set to attend Motherwell’s cinch Premiership clash with Hibernian on Saturday.

The Los Angeles-based former journalist declined to give any details of the financial package on offer when interviewed by the BBC this week.

The club recently signed a deal which allowed both parties to explore the proposal further but the Well Society board has not been involved in the negotiations as a collective.

Members have been promised the final say on any concrete proposal which emerges in the coming weeks but a recent vote opened up the possibility of the supporters’ group dropping below a 50 per cent stake.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell admitted his team used the poor Dens pitch to their advantage to secure a vital 3-2 victory over Dundee in the cinch Premiership.

The game only went ahead after two pitch inspections at 11am and 1pm, with Dundee storming into a two-goal lead thanks to Jordan McGhee and Luke McCowan.

However, Motherwell made a dramatic comeback with Georgie Gent, Theo Bair and Moses Ebiye on the mark.

Kettlewell’s men were playing towards the Bob Shankly Stand in the second half and Kettlewell admitted that worked to their advantage.

The manager said: “Did we play on the conditions at that end in the second half? Yeah, that’s something we were taking into account.

“That goalmouth area, there’s a bit 20 yards out that isn’t good so we knew if we could get the ball into that area there’s the potential for slips, bad bounces that might fall in our favour.

“So we spoke about that and aiming towards it.

“Was it playable? When I walked on the pitch there were four or five areas I didn’t think were playable.

“Again I need to be consistent, I’m not going to change now.

“At no point did I speak to anyone or the officials from Dundee, I was prepared to let everyone do their job.

“I didn’t try to have an influence on anyone because we’d prepared to play here at 3pm.

“The referee felt it was playable and we were not endangering the safety of players so it was on.

“I have an opinion on a bigger scale of what I feel about getting to April and dealing with this.”

Dundee boss Tony Docherty admitted the result was a hammer blow for him and his players.

The Dark Blues were on course to secure a top-six finish with St Johnstone beating Hibs until the dramatic late collapse.

However, the manager was irate over the VAR decision that led to the penalty award for Motherwell’s first goal.

The 53-year-old said: “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.

“Goals change games and they get momentum from the VAR decision. I haven’t seen it back but nobody claims for the penalty.

“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.

“I won’t be critical of them because they have been brilliant all season.

“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.”

Motherwell came from behind to secure a remarkable 3-2 victory against Dundee at a drenched Dens.

The Dark Blues looked to be coasting after Jordan McGhee and Luke McCowan had given them a 2-0 lead.

However, the Steelmen hit back with goals from Georgie Gent, Theo Bair and, deep into added time, Moses Ebiye.

The game only went ahead after two game-day pitch inspections. Despite that, there were still heavily-sanded areas in front of both dugouts and in one goalmouth.

Motherwell issued a statement prior to kick-off expressing deep concern over the welfare of their players due to the state of the surface.

After an even opening, Motherwell had a chance in the 26th minute but Adam Devine could not direct his header on target with the ball flying well over Dundee keeper Jon McCracken’s crossbar.

The hosts then had an opportunity of their own when a McCowan free-kick was headed back across goal towards Mexican defender Antonio Portales but he hit his shot into the side-netting.

However, the hosts took the lead in the 37th minute. Lyall Cameron sent a cross into the box with Amadou Bakayoko heading across goal to McGhee, who powered home a header at the back post.

Dundee doubled their advantage in the 70th minute. McCowan fired an inswinging corner from the right which flew over Liam Kelly and into the net at the back post. The Motherwell players appealed for a free-kick but after a VAR check the goal was given.

However, the game was turned completely on its head in two minutes.

VAR intervened with a penalty check for handball against Joe Shaughnessy in the 79th minute. Referee David Dickinson was called to the pitchside monitor and he pointed to the spot.

Bair stepped up with McCracken making a superb save but Gent reacted fastest to rifle home the rebound with the goal being given after yet another VAR check.

The Steelmen equalised two minutes later when Bair twisted and turned on the edge of the Dundee box, beating McCracken, before finding the back of the net.

The hosts were rocking and Bair had two more chances to give his side the lead but could not take them.

However, Motherwell scored their third to seal an incredible win in the 93rd minute when substitute Ebiye fired home past McCracken.

Dundee’s cinch Premiership meeting with Motherwell will undergo a second pitch inspection at 1pm on Saturday.

The state of the Dens Park pitch has been under intense scrutiny amid heavy rainfall in Scotland, with the Dark Blues having had four home games postponed due to a waterlogged pitch this term.

“Following this morning’s (11am) scheduled pitch inspection the referee has deemed there will be a further inspection at 1pm this afternoon,” Dundee posted on their X account.

Motherwell chief executive Brian Caldwell voiced his concerns this week, calling for the Scottish Professional Football League to postpone the Premiership’s post-split fixtures should their game at Dundee be called off.

Well have two games remaining before the split, with their final fixture coming at home to Hibernian next Saturday.

The SPFL has been working on various contingency measures should the game be called off, with Caldwell revealing plans included delaying the game to Sunday or Monday or even playing it behind closed doors at Airdrie.

Caldwell said: “Our position is quite clear, we play Saturday at Dens or we reschedule the game for another time and if that means the post-split fixtures are delayed then so be it.”

With Dundee due to host Rangers on Wednesday – in a rescheduled clash that was contentiously called off 90 minutes before kick-off last month – the SPFL would be left with little room for manoeuvre in terms of fitting in any further fixtures before the post-split schedule is confirmed later this month.

Boss Stephen Robinson believes there are plenty of positives despite St Mirren not quite managing to secure a place in the top six after drawing 1-1 at Motherwell.

The Buddies opened the scoring after 18 minutes when Marcus Fraser nodded home but they were pegged back with 16 minutes remaining as Theo Bair bundled over the line.

Robinson’s side remain fifth in the Premiership and hold a five-point advantage over Hibernian in seventh with just two games remaining.

He said: “Overall, to come to Fir Park and get a point is another point towards our ultimate goal which is top six.

“I thought we should have won the game but when you don’t take your chances then you don’t.

“The fact we’re in the running for the top six two years in a row after such a long absence tells you we are going in the right direction.”

Having lost 5-2 at Kilmarnock in their last league outing, Robinson was pleased with the resilience his side demonstrated against the Steelmen.

The Northern Irishman also praised their travelling support for staying with the team throughout.

“After Kilmarnock, it was important we were hard to break down, hard to beat and we were,” he added.

“The reaction to two weeks ago and the fans reaction, they stayed with the boys even when they equalised.”

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell talked up his team’s spirit after they battled back from behind to claim a hard-earned point.

Bair took his tally for the season to 12 to earn Well a share of the spoils.

“I thought we started really well in the game, we played with a real purpose and we were a real threat down our left-hand side,” Kettlewell said.

“There was a frantic four or five-minute spell, St Mirren hitting the crossbar from a free-kick, we know they’ve got quality with the guys that surround the ball and even from the follow-up that cannons off the bar as well.

“It probably just rocked us a wee bit leading into the goal we concede. We’ve got the throw-in, it leads to a corner for then and, fundamentally, we’ve got to defend it better.

“The most pleasing aspect is not being at our best, not passing as well as what I’ve seen us do, not connecting key players in the game – we still had that bit of character.”

Motherwell have kept their slim hopes of landing a top-six place alive despite failing to win at home for the second game in a row.

The Steelmen are six points behind Dundee, with just two games remaining, so will need favours from elsewhere and to take maximum points before the split.

Kettlewell added: “It still keeps us in the position of trying to get the top six, we find ourselves six points behind and still have Dundee and Hibs to play.

“It keeps us in the mix, we need a few favours and a few things to drop our way.”

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.

Interim Aberdeen boss Peter Leven was delighted after his side dug deep to defeat Motherwell and give themselves some breathing space in the cinch Premiership relegation battle.

Leighton Clarkson netted the only goal of the game after 25 minutes, before the Dons survived a disallowed goal and a last-gasp penalty claim.

Aberdeen’s first league win in 12 games moved them into ninth place, though their advantage over Ross County in the relegation play-off spot remains at three points after the Staggies defeated Hearts.

But Leven said: “There is a bit of breathing space and the three points are massive.

“But we can’t look at other teams around us. It’s all about us and what we can do.

“I don’t look at what happened elsewhere. We can’t affect what happens elsewhere and the boys just need to keep getting results and keep climbing the table.”

Leven felt a first clean-sheet in a dozen games was key in ending their winless league run.

Despite some nervous moments, Kelle Roos and the Aberdeen defence held strong.

“I thought we were brave, we didn’t panic and I thought we controlled the game,” Leven added.

“The flip side of it for me is the way we defended – getting a clean sheet is massive.”

Motherwell boss Stuart Kettlewell was fuming after vital VAR decisions went against his team.

Lennon Miller looked to have levelled five minutes before half-time, only for the goal to be ruled out for handball against Theo Bair following a lengthy VAR check.

It then looked like the Steelmen would be awarded a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Graeme Shinnie in the final seconds, but the Dons player was not punished.

“I’ve just looked at the incident at the end of the game, it’s the first time I’ve had that situation,” Kettlewell said.

“The ball 100 per cent comes off Shinnie’s arm and his arm is out from his body.

“We’ve all spoke about the incidents you see with Celtic and Hearts the other week there – somehow I don’t think this will gather as much traction as what that did.

“Somebody is going to have to sum this up for me, somebody is going to have to give me some sort of clarity.

“I’ve already said I’m not going back and speaking to (Scottish Football Association head of referee operations) Crawford Allan because it’s going absolutely nowhere on a Monday morning, trying to find out why that was the case.

“We’re going to have to try tidy this up for the sake of Scottish football.

“What I should be doing as always is talking about our team, our performance and how the game has went – but no we’re back talking about handballs and VAR.”

Aberdeen recorded their first cinch Premiership victory since January with a 1-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Leighton Clarkson slammed home the decisive goal after 25 minutes to end a run of 11 games without a league win for the Dons and keep them three points clear of second-bottom Ross County.

Motherwell thought they had drawn themselves level when Lennon Miller found the net five minutes before half-time but they were denied following a lengthy VAR check.

Aberdeen leapfrogged St Johnstone into ninth, while Motherwell’s chances of a top-six spot are fading fast after losing ground on sixth-placed Hibernian.

There was a controversial moment inside the opening 40 seconds when Junior Hoilett was shown a yellow card for a dive inside the box.

Dons striker Bojan Miovski came close to ending his run of seven games without a goal with a deft chip that sailed just past the post.

Motherwell almost opened the scoring with their first opportunity. Blair Spittal’s free-kick was only partially cleared and it required a vital block by Jack MacKenzie to divert Dan Casey’s close-range effort behind for a corner.

Dons caretaker Peter Leven was forced into an early change as Nicky Devlin hobbled off and was replaced by Jack Milne in the 22nd minute.

Aberdeen made the breakthrough thanks to a controlled finish from Clarkson after Miovski’s shot had cannoned off the post.

Motherwell responded in a positive fashion. Sam Nicholson passed up a good opportunity to level after superbly controlling Stephen O’Donnell’s pass from deep inside his own half before firing against the legs of Kelle Roos.

It looked like Miller had found an equaliser when he angled a low drive that deflected beyond Roos. However, his goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check deemed Theo Bair to have handled in the build-up.

An eventful first half ended with further chances. Connor Barron should have doubled Aberdeen’s lead after he rose unmarked to meet Hoilett’s corner and Liam Kelly was then forced into a good stop to turn Miovski’s goal-bound shot over the bar.

Stuart Kettlewell made a double change at half-time as he introduced Georgie Gent and Andy Halliday in place of Bevis Mugabi and Nicholson.

The hosts were struggling to break through the stubborn Dons defence and they almost found themselves two goals behind when Miovski brought out a fantastic one-handed save from Kelly.

Spittal had a tame effort gathered, before Casey took the brunt of a fizzing Jamie McGrath shot in the face.

Two fine saves from Roos in quick succession kept out Bair and the Canadian striker then glanced wide from his third chance in the space of a minute.

Halliday was next to force a crucial save from Roos with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

The away side were still offering a threat on the counter-attack, and Kelly produced some heroics of his own to deny Dante Polvara.

Aberdeen recorded their first cinch Premiership victory of 2024 with a 1-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Leighton Clarkson slammed home the decisive goal after 25 minutes to end a run of 12 games without a league win for the Dons and move them three points clear of second-bottom Ross County.

Motherwell thought they had drawn themselves level when Lennon Miller found the net five minutes before half-time but they were denied following a lengthy VAR check.

Aberdeen leapfrogged St Johnstone into ninth, while Motherwell’s chances of a top-six spot are fading fast after losing ground on sixth-placed Hibernian.

There was a controversial moment inside the opening 40 seconds when Junior Hoilett was shown a yellow card for a dive inside the box.

Dons striker Bojan Miovski came close to ending his run of seven games without a goal with a deft chip that sailed just past the post.

Motherwell almost opened the scoring with their first opportunity. Blair Spittal’s free-kick was only partially cleared and it required a vital block by Jack MacKenzie to divert Dan Casey’s close-range effort behind for a corner.

Dons caretaker Peter Leven was forced into an early change as Nicky Devlin hobbled off and was replaced by Jack Milne in the 22nd minute.

Aberdeen made the breakthrough thanks to a controlled finish from Clarkson after Miovski’s shot had cannoned off the post.

Motherwell responded in a positive fashion. Sam Nicholson passed up a good opportunity to level after superbly controlling Stephen O’Donnell’s pass from deep inside his own half before firing against the legs of Kelle Roos.

It looked like Miller had found an equaliser when he angled a low drive that deflected beyond Roos. However, his goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check deemed Theo Bair to have handled in the build-up.

An eventful first half ended with further chances. Connor Barron should have doubled Aberdeen’s lead after he rose unmarked to meet Hoilett’s corner and Liam Kelly was then forced into a good stop to turn Miovski’s goal-bound shot over the bar.

Stuart Kettlewell made a double change at half-time as he introduced Georgie Gent and Andy Halliday in place of Bevis Mugabi and Nicholson.

The hosts were struggling to break through the stubborn Dons defence and they almost found themselves two goals behind when Miovski brought out a fantastic one-handed save from Kelly.

Spittal had a tame effort gathered, before Casey took the brunt of a fizzing Jamie McGrath shot in the face.

Two fine saves from Roos in quick succession kept out Bair and the Canadian striker then glanced wide from his third chance in the space of a minute.

Halliday was next to force a crucial save from Roos with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

The away side were still offering a threat on the counter-attack, and Kelly produced some heroics of his own to deny Dante Polvara.

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell described Theo Bair’s international call-up as just reward for his hard work and ambition along with the efforts of many others at the club.

Bair has been included in the Canada squad ahead of their CONCACAF Nations League play-off against Trinidad and Tobago on March 23.

The former St Johnstone striker, 24, won his second and most recent cap in 2020 after scoring on his international debut and has been recalled after producing nine goals and three assists in his past 10 cinch Premiership games for Motherwell.

“I know when Theo came here he had a real ambition to back get in that Canadian squad. It’s his just reward, he has been working tirelessly,” said Kettlewell, who has also seen the likes of Liam Kelly, Adam Devine, Lennon Miller, Bevis Mugabi and Davor Zdravkovski get international recognition.

“We are delighted for him and all the lads who have had international call-ups.

“I think he is the most humble person I have ever met. He thinks he has loads to go, as do we.

“When you look into how he is performing, I thought there were so many good qualities early in the season, but you can see how much it evolves when there’s a bit of confidence in there, once he starts hitting the back of the net.

“It’s just fine margins, different types of movement, utilising his frame and his physicality, probably getting him fitter. His work rate is top drawer, he presses from the front.

“It’s taken him time to get there and big Theo will acknowledge that, because he is probably a bit of a baby when you look at the game time he has played.

“He didn’t come here with loads of minutes, 24 years old doesn’t mean you are sitting there with 150-200 appearances. I believe when you have that trust and opportunity to play, that’s when you see the fruits of your labour.

“Now with that level of confidence, you start to see him maybe take part in elements of the game where before he was maybe looking at one of his team-mates.”

Motherwell recently gave an insight into the work they and Bair have been doing behind the scenes to spark his prolific run, including footage of video analysis sessions.

“Ross Clarkson and Graeme McArthur, our two analysts, are absolutely sensational at what they do, the level of detail they go to, but the bit that goes unnoticed is the work ethic,” Kettlewell said. “We feel we have that in the staff in general.

“We have players who go to lengths to get the best out of their career but also all the staff have that same vision and ambition for your career.

“But we need guys who are coachable and want the best out of their career. If we get that we will give them every minute of every day to meet the goals they set themselves but also what we think they can get to.”

Meanwhile Jon Obika has suffered another hamstring injury in training having already had three lay-offs with a similar issue over the past 12 months.

“I don’t have a specific update, we will have him scanned and find out what’s going on,” Kettlewell said.

New signing Moses Ebiye could feature against Aberdeen on Saturday but Kettlewell warned the 26-year-old Nigerian striker had not played a competitive game for some time, having left Norwegian side Aalesund in January.

“He has taken part in every training session and has had minutes on the pitch in a bounce game,” he said. “But I need to manage expectations. I think he can possibly give us something at this stage but it’s very, very early.”