Chris Porter grabbed the only goal of the game as Motherwell claimed a 1-0 win over Hearts at Fir Park.
Motherwell grab Hearts victory
Chris Porter grabbed the only goal of the game as Motherwell claimed a 1-0 win over Hearts at Fir Park.
The striker headed home the only goal of the rearranged the SPL clash at the end of a flowing move in the 11th minute.
Hearts then failed to trouble Motherwell goalkeeper Graeme Smith as the home side effectively closed down their visitors.
Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo had angered his counterpart Mark McGhee on the eve of the game by revealing Porter was on his list of transfer targets.
If the declaration was designed to unsettle the Englishman, it backfired spectacularly as Porter put a major dent in Hearts' European hopes.
Motherwell have now taken seven points from three games after a poor run which saw them fall to joint-bottom of the league.
The victory puts them eight points off fourth-placed Hearts and a potential
Uefa Cup spot and they look to have rediscovered the confidence which helped them to a European place last season.
