Motherwell and Dundee United shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw at al rainy Tannadice.
Motherwell’s early penalty goal was cancelled by a cheeky back heel to level the score at the break. Both sides had plenty of opportunities to find a winner but a fair share was the result
Alfred Johansson was able to name an unchanged eleven against the much fancied United side and in the unfamiliar heritage blue they kicked off with the travelling fans behind them
The visitors started brightly with plenty of positive attacking play. Tom Sparrow charged forward and laid the ball on for Tawanda Maswhanise. There was a shout for a penalty as the striker went down but the assistant had flagged Sparrow offside. The VAR intervened and sent referee Lee to the screen. The spot kick was awarded and Lukas Fadinger sent the ‘keeper the wrong way to give the ‘Well an early boost.
The hosts were not happy at the decision and they vented their ire on the Motherwell defence as they set about leveling the game. Alex Paulsen made a few saves and at other times the ball zipped past his posts.
The Steelemen survived and made a few chances. Maswanhise and Ibrahim Said had shots saved and Emmanuel Longelo fluffed the best chance with the goal gaping.
With the safety of the interval close by United got the equaliser. The ball fell to Jesse Randall inside the six yard box. With his back to goal he chose the heel ball and Paulsen was beaten. An entertaining first half finished level.
The second period fell short of the earlier high quality but it still provided action in both boxes. Randall missed a sitter at one end and Oscar Priestman failed to hit the ball for a golden chance at the other.
Martin Moorman cleared off his goal line and Seb Palmer-Houlden pounced on slack defending only to see his effort fly high. The Motherwell defence had to withstand eight corner kicks in the second half and there will be satisfaction that the vulnerability shown from set pieces earlier in the season did not recur.
The draw gives Motherwell a third unbeaten game ahead of the latest international break and there’s plenty of evidence to show that Johansson’s squad are taking shape. All that’s missing is a goal scorer.
Dundee United 1 Motherwell 1
Attendance: 8,579
Team: Paulsen, Sparrow, Girdwood-Reich, Moorman, Hodge, Longelo, Fadinger (Priestman 64), Kanga (Charles-Cook 64), Said (Hendry 73), Maswanhise, Palmer-Houlden (Bjorgolfsson 86)
Saturday 7 November 2026
