Aberdeen v Motherwell as it happened

1. McDonald opens scoring for Motherwell
2. Keeper Long knocks Taylor header into own net
3. Rooney scores winner for Dons after mix-up
4. Dons close in on leaders Celtic
5. Motherwell stay second bottom

Well, it's time to call it a day here. As ever, we'll have highlights of the match available on the BBC Sport website at midnight. Thanks very much for giving us your attention on a Friday night. I hope you can join our coverage on radio, TV and online over the weekend, with league games galore and the showpiece Scottish League Cup final on Sunday. Good night.

Motherwell manager Ian Baraclough

"Talk about a sorry story, but if you don't defend set pieces... You have to have the desire to attack a ball when it comes into the area. It has cost us a game of football. How do you comprehend losing a game like that? You have to learn. We were looking very comfortable at half-time, looking to extend our lead but we have shot ourselves in the foot, not attacking a ball. The performance level has risen in the last few weeks. I'm gutted for them."

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Motherwell's Keith Lasley (left) and Josh Law walk off the Pittodrie pitch, contemplating the defeat. They will know that a win for St Mirren away to Kilmarnock on Saturday will leave them bottom of the Premiership.

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John Bryson: "Some of the players Baraclough has brought in look good, but neither Laing or Long have impressed."

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes

"Motherwell were far more aggressive than us. We had worked on a shape to deal with their front two. We changed the shape and in the second half we changed our demeanour, we were much more aggressive. We thoroughly deserved the win in the end. We did it the hard way. Motherwell were excellent in the first half. We showed why we are where we are in the league in the second half. That could be the best three points of the season. We always felt it would be a tough night."

BBC Scotland football pundit Willie Miller

"In the second half you were thinking Aberdeen would be tested. But they were gifted two goals in two minutes. The goals were incredible! Ash Taylor given a free header, unchallenged at the back post! The second goal was from a 'nothing' ball down the middle. After they got the two goals they were the superior team, there is no doubt about that. It would have been interesting to see how they would have reacted if they hadn't got those goals."

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We should hear shortly from Motherwell manager Ian Baraclough when he speaks to BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. They have conceded 54 goals in 29 matches but there were signs in that first half that Well are a team that can play attractive, confident football.

FULL-TIME

It's a sore one for Motherwell to take. They were worth their half-time lead but two errors in as many minutes allowed Aberdeen to seize the advantage and from then on the visitors rarely threatened the Reds' goal.

In the final minute of added time Adam Rooney takes the ball into the corner and plays it off Josh Law for a corner kick. It's surely all over.

Motherwell sub Dom Thomas is full of verve as he picks the ball up and takes a run at Aberdeen full-back Shay Logan, but the Dons man has had a fine game and coolly dispossesses the attacker before hoofing the ball to safety.

There are four minutes of injury time to be played.

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George Long saves the initial headed effort by Ash Taylor, but a second or so later he knocked the bouncing ball into his own net.

Lee Erwin and Scott McDonald have been booked in recent minutes as Motherwell become frustrated.

Aberdeen, being urged forward by the likes of Shay Logan and Niall McGinn, look the more likely team to score in the remaining seven minutes of the match.

Topical Mark Evans: "A bit of comic relief from the motherwell defence tonight. #COYR #bbcscotfootball"

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Dave, Carlisle: "Baraclough needs time. He inherited the worst squad in my 50 years watching Well. McCall took his eye off the ball. We need to finish 10th. Hibs will do us in the play offs."

BBC Scotland football pundit Craig Paterson

"When it's self-inflicted it hurts you. The quality of defending at the two goals was way below the standard required by the manager at this stage of the season."

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Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes will be a happier man now that his team have scored twice in the second half.

Niall McGinn goes on a mazy run from the halfway line and, as the white-shirted Well players back off, he makes it to 25 yards from goal and unleashes a left-foot shot that he tugs a shade to the left of the target.

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What contrasting emotions for these two players as Adam Rooney nicks in to pounce on Louis Laing's mix-up with the Motherwell goalkeeper.

Tom and 20 others, sent earlier: "Motherwell need to start the 2nd half how they ended the 1st, and not concede any soft..... oh dear #bbcscotfootball"

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Ivan in Dunoon: "24 goals for Rooney for the Dons, need a win tonight for the dandy dons, we can believe."

Aberdeen striker David Goodwillie glances in anger at the pitch, perhaps looking for a wayward hedgehog, as he balloons a shot high and wide of the target from the edge of the box - the ball took a horrible bobble off the surface just as he swept his foot through it.

That was Adam Rooney's 24th goal of the season, and probably his simplest finish.

The bulk of the 13,267 inside Pittodrie will be in a good mood now. They'll certainly have enjoyed the bit of skill shown by Niall McGinn as he controls the ball and sends an inviting cross into the box - no takers in red shirts, though.

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Dave Dewsbury: "After last week's failure to stand up for a save, bring back Dan Twardzik, he's saved the 'Well from many a thumping, print and be damned."

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The unmarked Ash Taylor powers a header at the Well goal - his effort was saved but inadvertently punched into the net by George Long.

What a turnaround in this match. Motherwell manager Ian Baraclough will be watching this slack-jawed. His half-time team talk must surely have included the words "don't give anything away at the start of the second half".

GOAL

It's a stinker of a goal for Motherwell to lose as keeper George Long comes out of his goal - unnecessarily, I'd suggest - and watches in horror as Louis Laing heads the ball past him at the edge of the box. In races Adam Rooney to capitalise on the mix-up and he taps the ball into the empty net.

GOAL

Aberdeen make the perfect start to the second half as Ash Taylor is completely unmarked to head at the Motherwell goal from eight yards. George Long makes a good save but, with the ball bouncing a yard from goal, he punches it into his own net instead of clutching it.

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Ah, the magic of football under the floodlights. It makes you play better, right?

KICK-OFF

Thankfully, Motherwell appear and we have a second instalment of Friday night football.

No sign of Motherwell re-emerging yet, despite 15 minutes having elapsed.

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Scott McDonald celebrates scoring the opener at Pittodrie, as he nicked ahead of his marker to poke Lee Erwin's shot into the Aberdeen net.

Andrew Priestley: "After the heavy defeat to Celtic, the wind has gone out of Aberdeen's sails. Their season is in danger of fizzling out. #bbcscotfootball"

STAT'LL DO NICELY

A statistic from my colleague Brian McLauchlin - Aberdeen have beaten Motherwell only once in the Steelmen's last 10 visits to Pittodrie and that was in October last year.

BBC Scotland football pundit Craig Paterson

"(Motherwell manager) Ian Baraclough needs exactly the same 45. Sometimes when you're 1-0 up at half-time you start to think negatively. The strength of the Motherwell performance was the retention of the ball. Everybody looked on the top of their game. It gives them something to defend. Aberdeen have huffed and puffed but they never really looked like knocking down the Steelmen's rearguard."

As things stands, Well's rivals in the relegation fight - Ross County and St Mirren - will be groaning at the scoreline.

HALF-TIME

PENALTY APPEAL

Aberdeen make half-hearted claims for a penalty as Niall McGinn goes in with a raised foot to tackle Motherwell's Anthony Straker. The ref awards a free-kick to the visitors, correctly.

CLOSE!

Aberdeen come close to pulling level as Niall McGinn's purposeful cross from the right is powered at goal by the head of Kenny McLean. George Long gets down sharply to make the save and Well have four minutes to go until half-time to protect that lead.

Shay Logan shows some good touches down the right for Aberdeen, turning his opponent inside out before crossing into the box, where the move breaks down.

GOAL

Aberdeen should have been watching Scott McDonald like a hawk - his goal, diverting Lee Erwin's low strike beyond Jamie Langfield, is the seventh match in a row he has scored against the Dons. His last six were when he was playing for Celtic.

Aberdeen make a change as they replace Don Daniels with Peter Pawlett.

Straight to the other end and Aberdeen, perhaps shaken by that Lee Erwin chance, create one of their own as stylish midfielder Kenny McLean pings a beauty of a left-foot drive a foot wide of George Long's left-hand post.

Lee Erwin has the best chance of the match as he tries to clip the ball past the advancing Jamie Langfield. However, the returning Dons goalie spreads his body to deny him a goal and Ash Taylor makes two brave blocks at the edge of the box as Motherwell push for the opener.

Former Aberdeen captain Willie Miller

"It's an unusual Aberdeen performance. I think the formation doesn't suit them. Just now I don't know if the players know what their roles are. If they get a goal then everything will be hunky dory. Motherwell are giving as good as they are getting."

Motherwell midfielder Conor Grant plays a peach of a pass to Lee Erwin, allowing him to gallop into the Reds' box, but his touch is disappointing and his finish, well, even more so.

Stuart Mack: "#COYR need a response after the disappointment of Celtic Park #bbcscotfootball #HeidFirst"

Scott McDonald, now 31, shows a lovely bit of skill to flick the ball away from his Aberdeen opponent. Classy stuff.

Both teams are pressing hard and marking closely. Who has the little bit of magic or vision to break the deadlock? We need a few attempts at goal, on target would be a bonus.

Advance warning: forgive me if I get mixed up with my Laing, Long and Langfield, plus a Logan. Ach, and there's a Law too.

Former Motherwell defender Craig Paterson

"It's been a decent start by Motherwell. They look like a team that have had a couple of decent results. Defensively they have looked strong."

Motherwell striker Scott McDonald uses that stocky wee frame of his to keep his marker at bay and has the vision to play a peach of a ball inside the Dons left-back for team-mate Josh Law. He gets away with being offside when the Australian played the pass but his ball across the goal is too heavy.

It's that man Ryan Jack again as he dinks the ball into David Goodwillie in the box and he finds Kenny McLean near the penalty spot but Motherwell regroup and clear the danger. Aberdeen have the upper hand in the testing-one-another-out phase.

Ryan Jack finds himself in space down the left flank and works the ball on to his right foot from which he dispatches a curling shot that goes over George Long's Motherwell crossbar.

BBC Scotland football pundit Willie Miller

"It doesn't matter when it takes place - that was a yellow-card offence."

Jim Spence reports that Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is fizzing at that foul on his striker Rooney as he made for the Motherwell penalty box.

Stephen McManus is given a ticking-off by referee Crawford Allan for a muscular late challenge on Adam Rooney, but he avoids a booking.

KICK-OFF

And we're off...

And here they come - Aberdeen duo Adam Rooney and Shay Logan look very relaxed as they stroll towards the halfway line. Motherwell are in all-white. If you screw up your eyes, it could be Real Madrid in Scotland's north-east.

The players are in the tunnel, staring ahead grim-faced.

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Andrew Driver starts on the bench for Aberdeen after signing a short-term contract until the end of the season. Jamie Langfield makes a surprise return in goal at the expense of Scott Brown while Willo Flood and Jonny Hayes drop out of the squad through injury and are replaced by Ash Taylor and David Goodwillie. Second-bottom Motherwell, heartened by a four-point haul from their last two outings. name an unchanged team from the one that drew against Kilmarnock.

It will be interesting to see how Aberdeen perform after their break in Tenerife - they headed for some warm-weather training after their painful 4-0 defeat by Celtic in Glasgow on 1 March.

It looks like a cool, clear night at Pittodrie, just perfect for a game that matters hugely to both teams.

LINE-UPS AT PITTODRIE

Aberdeen: Langfield, Taylor, Daniels, Reynolds, McGinn, Logan, Jack, McLean, Considine, Rooney, Goodwillie. Subs: Smith, Robson, Pawlett, Clark Robertson, Brown, Shankland, Driver.

Motherwell: George Long, Law, Laing, McManus, Straker, Grant, Lasley, Pearson, Johnson, McDonald, Erwin. Subs: Ramsden, Ainsworth, Sutton, Twardzik, O'Brien, Moore, Dominic Thomas.

Referee: Crawford Allan

Motherwell manager Ian Baraclough

"You want to make sure that the momentum is building all the time. On a Friday night, under the lights, with the cameras here, I've said to the players, 'go and showcase yourselves'. The back four know each other's game. We know it's going to be tough. We'll play our own game. We're looking to put a dent in their title aspirations. They've had a little break - hopefully they've been enjoying themselves too much."

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes

"For us it just about winning the next game. We have shown consistency in the league. I think it is one defeat in 14. We still feel we have a lot to play for."

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes

"Against Celtic we got what we deserved. The last half hour suggests we are not quite ready to take them on yet. We hope wee Jonny (Hayes) will be fine for the Dundee game. We have brought Jamie (Langfield) back in for Scott Brown. Having watched both players in training I thought it was the right decision."

Motherwell urgently need points to lift them out of the relegation zone, where they are in a scrap with Ross County and St Mirren.

A win for Aberdeen would put them within three points of leaders Celtic, but having played a game more.

There are a whopping 35 points between second-placed Aberdeen and their Lanarkshire opponents, who sit in 11th position. Furthermore, the Dons have a game in hand on the Steelmen.

A warm welcome to BBC Scotland's live text commentary of the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Motherwell.