Dundee Capitalizes on Paulsen Errors to Defeat Motherwell
Dundee’s patched‑up side climbed to fourth in the Scottish Premiership as two glaring goalkeeping mistakes from Alex Paulsen handed them a gritty win over Motherwell in the wind and rain at Dens Park.
It’s three league defeats on the spin now for Alfred Johansson’s team. This one will sting.
Westley strikes through the pain – and Paulsen
Dundee arrived with an injury list long enough to reshape the XI. Joe Westley turned up with a fractured cheekbone and a face mask, but left with a goal and three points.
The opener came from the spot and from controversy. Emmanuel Longelo was penalised for handball, the decision harsh on the Motherwell defender as the ball struck him in the box. Westley stepped up, Paulsen guessed right and got both hands to it.
And still it went in.
The ball squirmed under the Motherwell goalkeeper and rolled over the line, a soft concession that set the tone for his afternoon and the visitors’ mood.
If that was bad, the second was brutal.
A cross, a glance, and a calamity
Ryan Astley whipped in a fierce cross from the right, Bradley Fink flung himself at it and only just made contact. The header looked to be drifting wide. Paulsen certainly thought so, casually waving it past.
He misread everything.
The ball bounced, spun viciously off the turf, kissed the post and dropped into the net. From 1-0 and still in the game to 2-0 and chasing shadows, Motherwell had been undone more by their own keeper than by Dundee’s attacking wave.
On the touchline, the cameras picked out Steven Pressley, head bowed over his Moleskine notebook, scribbling away as his side tightened their grip. He has described this spell, with at least five first‑choice players out, as one of the most challenging of his coaching career.
On this evidence, he’s navigating it superbly.
Lowry lifeline, but no cutting edge
Motherwell did respond. Alex Lowry brought them back into it, showing sharp control in the area before drilling home to halve the deficit and briefly rattle the home support.
That should have been the platform. It never became one.
Johansson’s side dominated the ball after the break. They hemmed Dundee in, circulating possession around the box, probing, recycling, going side to side. The pressure built, the corner count rose, but the chances did not.
Owen Goodman in the Dundee goal had long spells with little to do. Motherwell tested him only once or twice from open play, despite owning almost the entire second half in terms of territory. For all their 81 entries into the final third, they managed just 23 touches in the box.
Dundee, by contrast, reached the Motherwell area with far more purpose. From only 36 final‑third entries they matched that 23‑touch figure, carrying threat almost every time they broke forward. When they did, Paulsen redeemed himself slightly, denying Westley and Astley in quick succession to keep the scoreline respectable.
Pressley’s patched‑up plan delivers
This was not a Dundee performance built on flowing football. It was built on shape, discipline and a refusal to be rattled.
Pressley set his team up to soak up Motherwell’s pretty patterns and pick their moments. They were happy to let the visitors have the ball, confident that the back line would stand firm. With so many key players missing, Dundee still looked the more assured and dangerous outfit when they moved up the pitch.
He has spoken about how much he “loves” this group and the way they respond to adversity. Once again, they backed up his words. A makeshift side, a blustery day, a wounded opponent desperate for a result – and Dundee walked away with the win.
Now they have three weeks to rest, reset and, crucially, get bodies back. Fourth place, early or not, is a strong vantage point for a squad that has been stretched to its limits.
Motherwell’s pretty patterns, ugly numbers
Motherwell head back to Lanarkshire with nothing but possession stats to cling to. The football is easy on the eye, but the numbers behind it are alarming.
They are too open at the back, carrying the second‑poorest defensive record in the division. At the other end, they are too timid. The ball reaches promising areas, then the conviction drains away.
Tawanda Maswanhise, last season’s top scorer and a key summer retention, is feeling the weight. The service comes, but the penalty box presence is lacking. There’s a hesitancy in the red zone that opponents are starting to smell.
All the passing in the world counts for little when it rarely ends with someone willing to pull the trigger.
There is, just about, a sliver of perspective. Under Jens Berthel Askou last season, Motherwell also stumbled out of the blocks. After seven games, they had eight points – the same tally they sit on now – built from five draws, one win and a defeat.
The style remains attractive. The idea is clear. But ideas don’t win matches on their own.
With the defence leaking and the attack shrinking from the moment of truth, how long can Johansson wait for this philosophy to turn into points?
