IT JUST HAD TO BE MOULT

Fir Park goal hero shows Dons what they missed out on

IT just had to be him. There was no way Louis Moult was letting this pass. Seizing an opportunity to show Aberdeen what they had missed, his value to Motherwell sky-rocketed into a new stratosphere.

The wisdom of the Fir Park club rejecting £350,000 from Pittodrie for Moult back in July is now beyond any dispute. Out of contract at the end of this season, the striker could ultimately exit Fir Park for nothing. Maybe so, but last night he was the driving force behind an achievement of immense value.

A first major semi-final in six years is now Motherwell’s to savour next month. There will be a financial fillip from that but it is also about a club’s standing.

In roundly defeating Moult’s former suitors, Stephen Robinson’s charges offered the clearest evidence yet of just how well their manager has restructured and renewed this side as an effective force.

The background of Aberdeen’s bid for Moult — short of the reputed £500,000 asking price — lent a sense of fate to his intervention. Yes, his first goal owed much to the feeble attempts of Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis, but there was no such caveat applied to the strike that convincingly clinched a Hampden meeting against Rangers.

Striding forward with 85 minutes on the clock, Moult lashed a spectacular angled drive into the far corner of the net. His ninth goal of the season was a finish of a striker at the very peak of his powers.

But there was more to this performance. A constant irritation to an Aberdeen defence that simply couldn’t handle him, Moult’s movement and determination set a standard.

It was mirrored by others in claret and amber. Youngster Allan Campbell was a little powerhouse in midfield. Defenders made barriers of their bodies whenever needed. Robinson didn’t have a failure on the park.

In contrast, this was grim fare for Aberdeen, who must return to Fir Park on Sunday on league duty. Left chasing the game after Lewis leaked a second goal to Peter Hartley, they couldn’t summon any effective response. Only Ryan Christie looked up to the necessary standard. There will be no third domestic final in succession for the Dons.

Derek McInnes knew this would be a stern examination of his team’s credentials. Bulked up by their summer recruitment policy and buoyant with confidence, Motherwell are anything but a pushover.

Few sides match up to their physical power. And the Fir Park outfit have talented individuals capable of inflicting a different kind of damage once they have won the scrap for control.

A robust tactical plan was required to try to keep them at bay. But then there are some things for which no manager can legislate. In the first half, McInnes must have been stunned by the sudden disintegration of his goalkeeper’s powers.

Lewis was voted the best in his position by PFA Scotland members last season and had started this season in similarly pristine form. His recent exemplary display against Hearts at Murrayfield was the sole reason Aberdeen earned a point. Lewis had justly earned a reputation as a differencemaker. This time, though, it was of the unexpected kind. The 29-yearold Englishman made wince-worthy contributions to both of the hosts’ early goals. Others made less eye-popping errors in the lead-up to Moult’s opener. Mark Reynolds lacked sufficient conviction when put under pressure by Carl McHugh’s raking ball forward to Ryan Bowman. Motherwell’s target man tried to take Reynolds on before winning a challenge against the defender that sent danger into a central area.

Moult gathered with his back to goal, flicking up before hooking in an overhead effort. Lewis reacted as if the ball had spent half an hour at gas mark five, juggling the speculative effort into his net. Lewis (below) was soon beaten again as Hartley claimed his first Motherwell goal. This time, it was the consequence of a set-piece as Steven Hammell arrowed a free-kick on the right flank deep into the penalty area. Hartley rose to meet it with a downward header that squirmed past the Aberdeen No 1 and inside his right-hand post. The Dons could easily have gone in front after nine minutes when a slaloming run from Christie resulted in a low strike from the edge of the 18-yard area. Trevor Carson pushed it out and only a wonderful sliding block from Chris Cadden prevented Gary Mackay-Steven from netting.

This was the winger’s first start since being fished out of the River Kelvin after a now infamous night out. His involvement here proved less prolonged than that embarrassing episode.

With 37 minutes gone, MackaySteven was the player sacrificed as McInnes introduced Adam Rooney from the bench.

Aberdeen’s other prime chance came sandwiched in between their concessions. A Christie corner was headed back across goal by Andrew Considine and diverted over the top by Dom Ball.

Whatever McInnes said at halftime, it was short and sharp. His players were back out of the field a full five minutes before Motherwell re-emerged from their dressing room. The urgency was clear but so was the opposition’s determination to match it.

Moult remained a menace. One shot on the swivel was blocked by Considine’s backside before a thumping drive was pushed out by Lewis. The goalkeeper was beaten when Hartley then connected with a loose ball following a corner, but Graeme Shinnie cleared off the line.

Aberdeen tried to find a response. Christie embarked on a terrific one-man break only for Carson to tip his strike up and over.

Moult then set up Campbell for an effort that came off one post after the other without somehow crossing the line. But the final flourish would be his alone.

In the end, Aberdeen were left counting the cost of the 25-year-old’s excellence.