Motherwell vs Hibernian. Scottish Premiership.
Fir ParkAttendance7,083.
Match report as Motherwell and Hibernian see their top-six hopes ended following a high-stakes encounter at Fir Park; Steelmen snatch a late equaliser in a thrilling finale
Saturday 13 April 2024 21:02, UK
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.
Hibs boss Nick Montgomery: "It's not good enough for Hibs. 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: "I thought we snatched it at the end. 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."
Hearts' attention turns to their Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden Park on April 21. Kick-off 3pm.
Livingston need to wait for the Scottish Premiership post split fixtures to be announced.
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