Motherwell 1 - 0 Hearts: Home side on top form as Murphy and Lasley shine

Published Date: 08 August 2011
By Stuart Bathgate
at Fir Park
THERE was only a goal between these teams yesterday, but this morning they stand separated by almost the entire length of the league table. That can be misleading at such an early stage of the season, but the evidence from this match is that, at least for the moment, there is a gulf between the sides.
Neat, well co-ordinated and at times playing pleasing football, Motherwell were well worth the three points thanks to their second-half display. They benefited from the sending-off of Ian Black for a reckless tackle on Keith Lasley not long after the restart, with Jamie Murphy scoring the only goal of the game minutes later, but by that time they had already become the better team.

Lasley was himself sent off for a second yellow in the dying minutes, but by then he had played his part in establishing his team's superiority. Hearts' need for a player of his industry and artfulness in midfield was all too evident, and although they worked hard to get back into the match, they lacked invention.

The Europa League win over Paksi was an encouraging start for Paulo Sergio, but after this result it looks like a false dawn. At least the new manager now has a week in which to familiarise himself with his squad before their next match, at home to Aberdeen on Saturday.

With Marius Zaliukas having passed a fitness test, Sergio had to make only one enforced change to the team which had begun against Paksi, although it was a change which entailed some positional reshuffling. Striker Stephen Elliott was the man who missed out after leaving the field injured during the first half of the match against the Hungarians, though instead of replacing the Irishman with John Sutton as he did then, Sergio began with Jamie Hamill in midfield and played Ryan Stevenson up front, thus beginning without a recognised striker.

David Templeton played centrally alongside Stevenson at first as Hearts began by matching their opponents' 4-4-2, but it was a flexible formation in which Andrew Driver at times moved forward on the left to give the visitors a three-man frontline. It was Driver who had the first scoring chance of the match with a shot which Darren Randolph turned aside for a corner after the Motherwell defence had been dispossessed all too easily, and the same player was also responsible for the home team's first attempt on goal when he was robbed of the ball by Tom Hateley midway inside his own half. Hateley fed Chris Humphrey, who crossed from the right to Steve Jennings at the far post, but Marian Kello saved the Englishman's shot.

In a first half of few decent chances, the best fell to Jamie Murphy some ten minutes from the break. Humphrey was left in too much space on the right and had time to measure his floated cross, but Murphy mistimed his leap and headed over Kello's bar.

Hearts' most promising opening came five minutes later, when an attempted clearance was blocked by Stevenson and broke to Driver. The winger raced into the box and tried to chip his shot over Randolph, but the goalkeeper got down well to stop it.

At half-time supporters of both teams must have agreed that the game needed something to enliven it, but what it did not need was the late lunge on Lasley for which Black was shown a straight red. The Motherwell midfielder, who was able to resume playing after treatment, had been booked in the first half for a similar offence against Adrian Mrowiec, but referee Stevie O'Reilly appeared correct in his judgment that Black's tackle had merited a more severe punishment.

Hearts had reverted to 4-5-1 at the start of the second half, and Black's departure made it 4-4-1. Whatever formation they adopted, however, they found it just as hard to break down Motherwell, and the replacement of Driver with Sutton did nothing to change that.

Indeed, Stuart McCall's team, second best in terms of possession before the break, had been steadily getting on top even before they had a man advantage, and they made their superiority show with a goal on the hour. Lasley started the move with a pass to Nicky Law, who slid the ball through to find Jamie Murphy in space. With Ryan McGowan and Eggert Jonsson closing in fast, Murphy had the presence of mind to hold up the ball before slotting it low past Kello.

Forced to press up in search of the equaliser, Hearts risked going further behind as Lasley and Jennings took command of central midfield, highlighting their opponents' lack of creativity in that area. The Edinburgh side battled gamely enough, with Hamill in particular almost tireless, but Motherwell were playing by far the better football as the game entered its closing stages. Following a rare foray upfield by Hearts, Hamill was booked for bringing down Humphrey on the edge of the box. On another day the former Kilmarnock player might have seen red, but again the referee appeared to have made the right decision.

Motherwell wasted the free-kick, and they frittered away what time remained when sustained pressure might easily have added to their lead.

With a few minutes left Lasley was shown a second yellow for a trip on substitute Arvydas Novikovas. Hearts thus ended the game with numerical parity, but they had neither the time nor the opportunity to get back on level terms.

Motherwell: Randolph, Hateley, Saunders, Craigan, Hammell, Humphrey, Lasley, Jennings, Law, Higdon, Murphy (Carswell 90). Subs not used: Hollis, McHugh, Forbes, Page, Halsman, Lawless

Taken from the Scotsman