Dundee go down a storm in dazzling display

STORM Arwen may have started to abate but that didn’t stop Dundee blowing Motherwell away with a ferocious attacking performance.

Rarely — if at all — has an afternoon been as comfortable as this for James McPake’s men in the Premiership this season.

Lingering near the bottom of the table, it is the Dens Park side who have failed to deal with the elements for the majority of the campaign so far. Yesterday, however, they turned into an unstoppable force.

It was a minor miracle that the damage sustained by the visitors was not more extreme than the 2-0 lead which Dundee enjoyed at half-time.

Two goals in seven first-half minutes from Luke McCowan and

Danny Mullen could — no, should — have been added to in a spell when Motherwell were rattled.

Ryan Sweeney added a third just after the break as McPake’s side moved three points clear of bottom-club Ross County, albeit they remain in the relegation play-off spot on goal difference.

Motherwell came into the game following back-to-back 2-0 wins against Hearts and Aberdeen, but Graham Alexander was left questioning his team’s mentality after this defeat.

‘Everything we were last week, we weren’t this week in basic terms,’ said the Fir Park manager, whose team sit fifth. ‘We were at 80 per cent today and it wasn’t good enough from the start.

‘The only thing I can look at is mindset because it’s not the first time we’ve thrown in a performance like that against a team struggling at the bottom of the league. We’ve seen the heights we can reach against Hearts and previously against Aberdeen.

‘Then we’ve shown the ugly side of us today. If we try to justify being 10 per cent off it, it’s too much. It has to be all in.

‘The start of the game concerns me. They’ve trained so well and got their rewards recently. But we have to ask ourselves: “Did we approach this game in exactly the right manner?”. If we didn’t, then we let ourselves down. They are honest boys, they won’t kid themselves but we have to overcome when we come up against a team below us. We’re dropping valuable points when we know we can be doing better.’

This was Dundee’s first game in three weeks after being inactive due to the international break and Hibernian’s involvement in last weekend’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Motherwell, fresh from their win against Hearts at Fir Park, made one change as Liam Grimshaw replaced Sean Goss in midfield.

The early warning signs for the visitors became clear before they were punished on 19 minutes.

Paul McMullan fired wide from 18 yards before Mullen’s shot was saved by Liam Kelly within two minutes.

No matter. Sixty seconds later, the ball dropped to McCowan in the box and he drilled a low effort into the far corner.

What followed was relentless pressure as Alexander’s men couldn’t cope. Their desperate defending could only last so long.

Rickie Lamie nervously prodded a Dundee effort wide of his own goal, Max Anderson’s shot was likewise steered behind by Bevis Mugabi and Lee Ashcroft’s header was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Kelly.

Dundee’s second goal, therefore, came as no surprise. The ball broke to Mullen just inside the area and, despite Kelly’s attempts, his shot found the bottom corner.

The fact Motherwell made it to the break only two goals down was miraculous given the sustained pressure they had faced.

Alexander knew this pattern of play couldn’t continue. Kevin van Veen and Jordan Roberts were brought on at half-time to add some extra firepower.

The Dutchman almost delivered immediately but his shot from inside the box crashed off the post.

Van Veen then conceded a freekick midway inside his team’s half. Charlie Adam delivered the set-piece to the far post, the ball was headed across goal by Ashcroft and Sweeney steered it in from close range to make it 3-0.

Dundee keeper Adam Legzdins had been a mere spectator but he was finally called into action amid a goalmouth scramble before the danger was averted. McPake was delighted with his team — although he revealed his anger after Mullen had an effort ruled out for offside with the game goalless.

‘We were close to perfect,’ he said. ‘But I just wish officials could get calls right. Mullen was onside when he put it in the net, which would have made it 1-0.

‘First goals are massively important. Danny does great, he scored a perfectly good goal that an official got awfully wrong.

‘Kelly made a wonder save in the second half. But it annoys me that when managers make mistakes we then get hung out to dry and rightly so. But that was as clear a goal as you’ll see.’