Motherwell 3-0 Dundee United: Well continue unbeaten league start with stroll against visitors
Report as Motherwell beat Dundee United 3-0; goals from Seb Palmer-Houlden, Alex Lowry and Dylan Levitt helped Well maintain their unbeaten start to the Scottish Premiership season; visitors suffered a third loss in four games
Wednesday 2 September 2026 22:47, UK
Motherwell continued their Lanarkshire stranglehold over 10-man Dundee United with a 3-0 home win in a one-sided contest.
Goals from Seb Palmer-Houlden, Alex Lowry and Dylan Levitt helped Well maintain their unbeaten start to the Scottish Premiership season while United suffered a third loss in four games.
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Alfred Johansson's side were aided by the 14th-minute straight red card for Emmanuel Agyei which ensured the Tangerines' dismal winless run at Fir Park, which stretches back to April 2023, continued.
The hosts slipped into attack mode from the first whistle.
A typically slick surge down the right punctured United's backline and Joe Hodge drilled in a low cross which Lowry met first time, only for his shot to be superbly beaten out by goalkeeper Jack Walton before Emmanuel Longelo followed up to crack an effort against a post.
It was a sign of things to come and a stark warning for the Tannadice side as they rode their luck after twice failing to match runners into the box.
The visitors were screaming for a penalty when Mehdi Merghem tumbled inside the box under a Lukas Fadinger challenge but referee Callum Scott turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
Palmer-Houlden was next to be given time and space to fire in a low shot which Walton was again able to deal with but United's backline was living on its nerves.
A reckless lunge from Agyei on Lowry saw United reduced to 10 men and it got worse moments later as the hosts opened the scoring.
Tom Sparrow was the provider with a cut-back from the right which was buried by Palmer-Houlden with a low finish from a tight angle.
United began to buckle under relentless Motherwell attacking surges and it required acrobatics from Walton to prevent Fadinger from finding the top corner on the half-hour mark.
A brilliant 25-yarder from Lowry in the 65th minute added a second for Well and former United midfielder Levitt made it three with a low shot from distance two minutes later.
It completed a miserable night for Jim Goodwin's men, who never recovered from their numerical disadvantage during another eye-catching display from the hosts who could have inflicted far heavier damage.
What the managers said...
Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson:
"We looked patient, but with tempo on the ball. I think 700 passes, even playing against 10 men for so long, that's quite a lot of passes, which suggests the tempo of the passing game was high and I'm pleased with that. So then, if you play well, the goals will come.
"I'm pleased with the focus of the players and obviously with the result, which could have been even bigger so I'm very pleased.
"I think Joe Hodge deserved so much credit too. He, I think, probably played his best game for Motherwell, giving so much fluidity to our in-possession faces and so intense in the defensive transitions. He was very good for the team.
"We had three new players scoring and it's good for them to check that box but it's more important to be able to stay calm and focus on what they have to do on the pitch, which is more important than them thinking about scoring."
Dundee United assistant boss Lee Sharp:
"I thought we started the game well, both teams kind of going at it for the first 10-12 minutes, and after that it becomes extremely difficult when you're down to 10 men for that length of time.
"It kind of killed the game. I thought the boys were excellent in terms of how they went about it. They worked tirelessly in there but it was just disappointing.
"Motherwell are a good footballing team, so they'll just keep the ball and make you look to get it back, which the boys have done. We still played at times when we did get it, but it was extremely difficult.
"We'll review the red card and we'll make a decision going forward from there. Obviously, if the footage shows that you might think you've got a case, given how important Emmanuel is, we'll look at it and see."
