Motherwell won the Fir Park season opener with a Mika Bierith inspired 2-1 three pointer.
The second half substitution that delivered the debut of the on-loan Danish striker proved to be the turning point of the game. After an incident free first period Motherwell took a two goal lead thanks to the speed and skills on show from the loan player from Arsenal.
There was no change in the home line-up as Stuart Kettlewell stood by the eleven that drew at Dens Park last week. Motherwell kicked off but despite much effort from both teams the goalkeepers had an easy 45 minutes. The best chance came just before the break when Pape Souaré sent a cross into the box to find Dan Casey. The defender’s strong header crashed against the junction of post and bar.
Theo Bair was replaced ten minutes into the second half as Bierith was given a chance to show his wares. He supplied Callum Slattery with an opportunity three minutes into his game but the midfielder pulled his effort wide.
The breakthrough came when Bierith turned on the afterburner and threatened Lewis Stevenson wide on the right wing. He nicked the ball, raced along the dead ball line then picked out Connor Wilkinson to open the scoring.
Motherwell looked comfortable after that as the visitors huffed and puffed without creating much in the way of scoring chances.
The contest was over when Lennon Miller spotted a forward run from Biereth. His pass from the centre circle released the striker and despite the close attentions of three defenders he found room to pass the ball onto the corner of Marshall’s net.
Hibs converted a penalty a couple of minutes into the additional six after VAR informed the referee of a handball but the consolation did not prevent the Twist and Shout anthem as the home fans celebrated the first win of the season.
Motherwell 2 Hibs 1
Attendance 6,262 (1,864)
Team: Kelly, O’Donnell, McGinn, Mugabi, Casey, Souare, Spittal, Slattery (Zdravkovski 87), Miller, Wilkinson (Obika 80), Bair (Biereth 55)
Sunday 13 August 2023