Aberdeen’s woes against Motherwell continued as the Steelmen came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory at Pittodrie.
The Dons were second best throughout the opening 45 minutes, with Well taking the lead through Blair Spittal.
Goals from Bojan Miovski and Jonny Hayes looked to have put Jim Goodwin’s men on course for a fine turnaround however.
It was the Steelmen who had the last say however, with quickfire goals from Callum Slattery and Kevin Van Veen taking the points back to Fir Park.
The result continues Well’s recent upper hand over the Reds, who have now suffered four defeats from the last five encounters between the sides.
Aberdeen had been looking to build on their fine 4-1 victory over St Mirren the previous weekend, however their off-colour afternoon comes as a blow to their attempts to build early-season momentum.
Goodwin made one change from the side which emphatically defeated the Buddies.
Unsurprisingly, Leighton Clarkson was drafted in after making a goalscoring impact from the bench on his debut. He replaced the injured Hayden Coulson, with Liam Scales starting at left back and Ross McCrorie partnering skipper Anthony Stewart at centre half.
Motherwell made the trip north under the permanent management of Steven Hammell for the first time. It was the Lanarkshire outfit who were first to threaten, with Sean Goss calling Kelle Roos into action with a dipping long-range effort on three minutes, which the Dutchman did well to claw over.
The Reds were showing early signs of slackness in their passing, with Ylber Ramadani giving the ball a way to allow an opportunity for Kevin Van Veen, whose shot from the edge of the box was blocked wide.
Aberdeen spurned a glorious chance to take the lead on 11 minutes when Sondre Solholm Johansen slipped in attempting to receive Bevis Mugabe’s pass to allow Bojan Miovski clean through on goal, however the North Macedonian’s composure let him down as he blasted high over Liam Kelly’s crossbar.
Motherwell continued to cause the home side problems however, and they made a deserved breakthrough on 20 minutes. Connor Shields was released down the right flank before pulling the ball back for Spittal, who guided it past Roos from eight yards to net his first goal since his summer move from Ross County.
The poor start sparked frustration among the home crowd, with Matty Kennedy failing to keep a free-kick from a dangerous position down on 27 minutes.
It proved to be Kennedy’s final act as he was carried off after going down injured, with Shayden Morris brought on for his Reds debut.
The first half looked to be fizzling out but the Dons pulled level in timely fashion three minutes before the break. The goal stemmed from the left flank, with Scales producing a delightful cross which was nodded into the far corner by Miovski to atone for his earlier miss.
It was a much-needed boost for the Dons support, with Morris striking wide from the edge of the box in their search for a second goal.
The Reds did not have to wait long until they went ahead however, as they struck just 90 seconds into the second half. Jayden Richardson capitalised on slackness in the Well defence to advance to the byline before pulling back for Hayes, who was twice denied by Liam Kelly before he finally managed to bundle the ball into the roof of the net.
The Dons cheaply surrendered their lead just five minutes later however, when Goss’ corner was turned into the net from point-blank range by Slattery.
Well’s turnaround was complete on 55 minutes. The Reds’ defence was split open to allow Spittal in on goal, with his effort coming back off the crossbar but falling kindly for Van Veen to nod home the rebound.
Aberdeen looked to force their way back into the game but frustration was getting the better of them, with Clarkson and Scales both well off target with efforts from distance.
The Dons were dealt another injury blow when Clarkson had to be substituted on 67 minutes, with Jack MacKenzie coming on to make his first outing of the season.
Van Veen had the chance to wrap up the points for the visitors but saw his effort saved by the onrushing Roos, with Ross Tierney firing the rebound wide.
Roos had to be alert to deny Tierney with an even better save on 86 minutes, following a slip up by Stewart.
It was a closer attempt than anything the Dons could muster in the closing stages, as they were consigned to a disappointing afternoon on home turf.
ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1) – Roos 6; Richardson 6, McCrorie 7, Stewart 6, Scales 7; Ramadani 6, Clarkson 6 (MacKenzie 67); Kennedy 5 (Morris 29), Besuijen 6, Hayes 6 (Lopes 74); Miovski 6. Subs not used – Lewis, Watkins, Polvara, Duncan, Milne, Ramirez.
MOTHERWELL (4-3-1-2) – Kelly 6; McGinn 6, Mugabi 6, Solholm Johansen 6, O’Donnell 6; Slattery 7 (Maguire 73), Goss 7, Cornelius 6 (Tierney 73); Shields 7 (Morris 73), Van Veen 7, Spittal 7 (Efford 62). Subs not used – Oxborough, Ojala, Johnston, Mahon, Speirs.
Referee – Chris Graham 5
Attendance – 14,714
Man of the match: Blair Spittal
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