ABERDEEN 4 MOTHERWELL 1
SPFL Premiership
Saturday 29th March 2025
Pittodrie
Ref: Ross Hardie
Attendance: 19,274
Aberdeen recovered from conceding an early goal to produce a thoroughly dominant win over Motherwell in front of a Pittodrie full house, confirming their top six place in the process, Leighton Clarkson and Kevin Nisbet slotting a couple of entries into the ‘Goal of the Season’ reckoning.
There were four changes to the Aberdeen side that drew 0-0 at St Johnstone before the international break. Dimitar Mitov was out with a shoulder injury, while Oday Dabbagh, Jack MacKenzie and Shayden Morris started on the bench. In their place came Ross Doohan, Clarkson, Pape Gueye and Jeppe Okkels. Tom Ritchie was added to the substitutes.
Motherwell drew 2-2 home to St Mirren in their last fixture and made two changes, as Luke Armstrong and Harry Paton replaced Kai Andrews and Luke Plange.
Three minutes in and Aberdeen were straight into it, Okkels away down the left to collect a pass from Nisbet. His cross picked out Topi Keskinen, but his shot was wide.
But it was Motherwell who struck first after five minutes. Paton got into space to cross too easily from the left and he stood up a good cross to the back post, Slattery rising high to power a header in off the bar.
Keskinen nearly had the Dons level on eleven minutes. Clarkson and Nisbet opened Motherwell up to see Keskinen into the box with just the keeper to beat, but Balcombe narrowed the angle well to save.
From the resultant corner though, it was all-square. The corner was initially punched clear, but Clarkson volleyed it back into the box. Mats Knoester nodded it across the face, where Okkels cushioned the ball down into the path of Alfie Dorrington who thumped a full blooded shot goalwards, a little deflection helping take it past Balcombe for the first goal of the Spurs loanee’s career.
The Dons were on top now, Nisbet’s piledriver forcing a fine diving save from Balcombe away to his left, Nisbet set up by a nice pass from Clarkson on the edge of the box.
Gordon required treatment in the 22nd minute and once back on his feet, he went straight down the tunnel to be replaced by Balmer.
Graeme Shinnie came darting forward from left-back on 26 minutes, slaloming past four challenges like prime Peter Weir, but his cut-back to Keskinen was cut out.
Slattery then needed the physio after a foul by Nisbet. Gueye was booked for a foul on 28 minutes after getting up having been fouled himself without getting the free-kick.
The Dons came close again on 36, Balcombe scrambling to paw the ball away at the base of his post after Gueye get a touch on a Clarkson cross. But again, the corner was the charm and Aberdeen were ahead from it through Clarkson. Palavers and Okkels worked a short corner routine, Palaversa getting the ball back and then pulling the ball back into Clarkson 20 yards out. After taking a touch, he guided his shot across goal and into the far corner for 2-1, a superb finish.
Motherwell threatened on the break after 43 minutes, Halliday worming his way into the box, but his shot was smothered. Doohan was in brave action as we headed into added time, diving in as Armstrong looked to get on the end of a flick on.
There was still time for Okkels to trouble Balcombe with a low shot after good work by Gueye and Nisbet to set him up, but the Dons went to the dressing room just the one goal to the good.
HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 2 MOTHERWELL 1
It was a swift start to the second half by the Dons, forcing Motherwell into some desperate defending in the opening minutes, but they couldn’t quite find that second goal.
Sparrow had a chance to square things up on 53 minutes, a ball in between the Dons defence finding him 20 yards out, but the Steelman’s low shot fizzed just wide of the far post.
Gueye had Aberden’s next chance on 55 minutes. Okkels played a good ball across the box to Alexander Jensen and his chipped cross reached Gueye, but his header was clutched by Balcombe, who moments later was at full stretch to push away a dangerous Shinnie cross.
Sparrow was the threat again on the hour, accelerating away down the right and arcing in a teasing cross, Armstrong at full stretch to poke the ball wide of the target. Armstrong then made way for Watt in the 63rd minute. Slattery was in the book on 68 after a double foul on Shinnie, before Gueye and Keskinen were replaced by Ester Sokler and Shayden Morris.
The Dons doubled their lead on 77 minutes, Nisbet ghosting in to head in Jensen’s cross from close range, the move begun by a raking cross field ball from Clarkson that found Morris, who then fed Jensen. The visitors made an immediate change with Maswanhise replacing Paton in their final substitution.
Maswanhise was booked for hacking down Morris on 82 some 30 yards out from the Aberdeen goal, but it was an unnecessary intervention from the whistler to avoid the free-kick with Morris straight back to his feet and sprinting away on goal, with only Thompson between him and the Motherwell area.
Aberdeen continued to press, looking for a fourth goal, and Morris unleashed a fine shot from 25 yards out on the corner of the box that thumped into the side netting in the 87th minute. Three minutes later Dabbagh and Jack Milne came on for Okkels and Dorrington.
There was still time to crown the day in front of Pittodrie’s full house, Nisbet producing an absolute screamer from 25 yards, receiving the ball from Dabbagh and thrashing the ball in off the bar for 4-1.
ABERDEEN: Doohan, Jensen, Dorrington (Milne 90+1), Knoester, Shinnie, Clarkson, Palaversa, Okkels (Dabbagh 90+1), Keskinen (Morris 69), Nisbet, Gueye (Sokler 69).
Subs not used: Ritchie, Devlin, MacKenzie, Polvara, Boyd.
GOALS: Dorrington (13), Clarkson (37), Nisbet (77, 90+2)
BOOKED: Gueye
MOTHERWELL: Balcombe, O’Donnell, Gordon (Balmer 23), Casey, Sparrow, Halliday, Paton (Maswanhise 79), Thompson, Miller, Slattery, Armstrong (Watt 63).
Subs not used: Oxborough, Dickson, Koutroumbis, Wilson, Andrews, Plange.
GOAL: Slattery (5)
BOOKED: Slattery, Maswanhise
