Alexander delighted with 'brilliant' Motherwell win at Hibs

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander lavished praise on his team after they upset Hibernian in a 2-0 victory.

The Steelmen built on the hard-fought midweek draw at St Mirren to move seven points clear of the Premiership relegation zone.

Jordan Roberts opened the scoring in the first half before the on-loan Hearts forward then set up Devante Cole for his sixth of the campaign just seconds after the break.

Alexander was shown a red card by referee Alan Muir for making a gesture on the touchline in added time, but he refused to allow his dismissal to overshadow Motherwell’s first win at Easter Road since 2013.

Alexander said: “Everything we worked for this week from last Saturday, the players have done absolutely everything that was required of them as professionals.

“The last two games have shown the spirit, the togetherness and the quality we have within the club.

“It’s all underpinned by their work ethic and togetherness. That was a brilliant performance and brilliant result.

“Jordan got a fantastic goal for us and competed but the front three were such a handful for Hibs.

“The midfield three were like dogs of war behind them, getting all the scraps and doing all the dirty stuff.

“The back four and goalkeeper were magnificent. Hibs are a brilliant team but we deserved the three points.”

Hibs lacked penetration in the final third and were fragile at the back and head coach Jack Ross admits that combination proved costly.

Ross, whose third-placed side are still four points clear of Aberdeen, said: “It’s difficult to win consecutive games in this league and go on the kind of run we have been on recently.

“Today is another example of how tough the opposition are and if you dip below your levels, even slightly, it can cost you.

“We didn’t defend as well as we have done recently and we didn’t carry that cutting edge and that puts you at risk of losing the game.

“That’s what happened. The concession of the goals are very disappointing from our view in that they’re soft.

“Every manager will say they’re avoidable – but they are. And then we missed good opportunities at key times in the game.

“I don’t think Ofir Marciano had a save to make in the game. We were dominant in terms of territory.

“It was an afternoon where there wasn’t much in the game but the key moments went Motherwell’s way.”