Henri Anier’s wonder strike wasn’t enough to stop Motherwell damaging Dundee United’s survival bid once again.
This loss at Fir Park may not have felt quite as painful as the 3-0 hammering dished out by the Steelmen at Tannadice on February 16 but it hurt nonetheless.
The result left the Tangerines, who were backed by a 1,000-strong support, eight points behind Kilmarnock and they now only have nine games left in which to save their skins.
Anier smashed the ball home with his left foot from outside the box on 22 minutes for a glorious opening goal.
However, the hosts equalised right on half-time through a Marvin Johnson header then made it 2-1 through a Louis Moult tap-in on 65 minutes.
There was a shock return to United’s goal for Polish keeper Michal Szromnik.
Luis Zwick, who played so well for the Tangerines at Ross County six days earlier, had injured his knee in training on Thursday and was ruled out.
With first-choice shot-stopper Eiji Kawashima failing a late fitness test on his thigh injury that meant an unexpected comeback for Szromnik, who until recently had been back in his homeland recovering from illness.
As if that weren’t enough for the away fans to digest they also saw the return to the heart of the defence of Callum Morris.
The big Englishman had been sidelined with knee ligament damage and last played against Hearts at Tynecastle on December 30 coincidentally the last time Szromnik featured for the Tangerines.
United were keen to exorcise the demons of that defeat at Tannadice when they were so well beaten by Well.
They started brightly and John Rankin had a shot blocked by Keith Lasley in the first minute, with Paul Dixon lashing the loose ball into the sidenetting.
There was a near-thing for United on five minutes, however, when the Well players appealed that the ball had crossed the line after Szromnik had saved from Scott McDonald. Referee Crawford Allan made the right decision no goal.
Up at the other end, home goalie Connor Ripley spilled a Rankin cross but there were no takers. Szromnik then did the same with a Johnson shot on 11 minutes but the whistle went for offside as McDonald tried to poke the ball into the net.
United did have the ball in the Well net three minutes later after a Dixon cross was bundled over the line by Anier at the third attempt but the frontman was offside.
On 22 minutes, the Tangerines took a sensational lead.
It was man-of-the-moment Anier who was the goal hero, collecting the ball from Rankin and taking a touch before blasting in a shot from 20 yards that battered the back of the net before keeper Ripley could blink.
Another Dixon cross from the left caused the Steelemen all sorts of trouble on 29 minutes but the flag went up again as Billy Mckay tried to shoot.
Dixon stung Ripley’s hands with a 25-yarder then Johnson shot into the side-netting for the hosts.
Coll Donaldson picked up a daft booking for booting the ball away but he was the victim when McDonald elbowed him in the face but escaped punishment.
The visitors attacked again a minute before the break, with Ripley pushing away Mckay’s low drive.
However, Motherwell had the last laugh right on half-time when Johnson levelled.
Josh Law floated in a freekick – awarded for a Ryan Dow foul on Morgaro Gomis that looked like a fair challenge and up jumped Johnson to loop a header over Szromnik.
United were entitled to feel sorry for themselves for not keeping their lead as the second half got under way.
Dow was scythed down just outside the area by Lasley on 54 minutes but the freekick was wasted by Blair Spittall, who fired it into the wall.
Just seconds later, Johnson’s deflected strike rattled the top of the United bar and the visitors breathed again.
It was 2-1 to Well, though, with 65 minutes on the clock.
United were carved open at the back all too easily, with Johnson reacting far quicker than Gavin Gunning to create space on the left from which to cross over for Moult, who scored from a couple of yards’ out.
The Tangerines, who brought on Edward Ofere and Scott Fraser, had a strong penalty appeal turned down when an Anier strike appeared to hit a Motherwell arm.
They fought to the end but it wasn’t their night.
Attendance: 4,210.
Motherwell: Ripley, Hammell, McManus, Pearson (Gomis 34), Johnson, Lasley (Thomas 62), Law (Kennedy 86), Moult, Cadden, Hall, McDonald. Subs not used: Samson, Ainsworth, Fletcher, McFadden.
Dundee United: Szromnik, Dixon, Morris, Paton, Mckay (Ofere 75), Rankin, Dow (Fraser 75), Gunning, Spittal, Anier, Donaldson. Subs not used: McGovern, Dillon, Knoyle, Murray, Durnan.
Referee: Crawford Allan.