Any win in Aberdeen is welcome but when Saturday's triumph is seen in the context of the surrounding fixtures its importance is clear. The manager got the strategy right and the players delivered.
Not only does the result give us a boost ahead of the Betfred final but it offers comfort in the midst of an uncomfortable spell in the league. After losses to Hibs and Ross County the prospect of a trip to Pittodrie followed by a double header against Celtic had no appeal. The injection of three points in the middle of that run bolsters our place in the top half.
Yet again it was the spirit on show that impressed. When in possession there was an urgency about our play and the ball was soon on the way to the twin strikers. Aberdeen were chased and harried when needed. At times we swarmed around opposition players to smother any potential threat and even in the closing minutes it was evident that we were full of running. The energy on show testifies to the fitness levels.
Although Moult's exploits understandably drew most of the attention this was a fine team effort. Grimshaw's patience was rewarded with a starting place and he put in a good shift in the midfield engine room. Cadden started in a central position but it was his pace on the wing that set up the killer second goal. Rose was unlucky not to beat Lewis with one of his early shots on target.
The switch to four at the back was not expected by the Aberdeen management. After the final whistle McInnes opted to send his deputy Tony Docherty to give their thoughts, "Motherwell changed their system, which we didn’t anticipate so it threw us a little bit."
Robinson and his players applauded the travelling fans before taking the happy bus trip home. He was modest with his comments and credited his players, "Tactically, I can do what I want but if the players don’t buy in to it or take it on board then they’re the ones who have to go out there on the pitch and deliver it, and they did."
The upshot is that we have given ourselves a great platform to prepare for Sunday's trip to Hampden. We know that the players are confident and that the manager can adapt our play as need demands. We could not be better prepared for a final.