Livingston 0-2 Motherwell: Visitors earn fourth win in five

Tony Watt doubled Motherwell's lead just before the interval — Tony Watt doubled Motherwell’s lead just before the interval

A new-found savvy streak is key to Motherwell’s Scottish Premiership resurgence, says manager Stephen Robinson, after they inflicted a third straight defeat on Livingston.

First-half goals from Callum Lang and Tony Watt secured a fourth win in five for Robinson’s men, who began the season with a six-game winless run.

Livingston failed to threaten until Scott Tiffoney wasted a late chance.

“It was a complete performance from us,” said Robinson.

“We managed the game really well and that’s what we are doing better than what we did in the early part of the season.”

Victory lifts Motherwell up a place to seventh, with Livingston dropping one to 10th.

With the conditions playing havoc, Robinson’s side kept the ball low to craft a terrific opener.

Devante Cole won possession and freed Lang down the left. A drop of the shoulder flummoxed Nicky Devlin and Lang rolled the ball through goalkeeper Max Stryjek’s legs at the near post.

Stryjek prevented further damage by tipping over a wind-assisted Nathan McGinley cross, while Cole curled wide from a decent position.

Livingston’s only response was speculative, as Jay Emmanuel-Thomas tried to catch out Aaron Chapman from 45 yards with an effort that drifted past the post.

Motherwell took a two-goal lead into the break as Mark O’Hara hammered in a free-kick that Stryjek could only parry, with Watt pouncing to convert from close range.

Even with the wind at their backs from then on, Livingston were abject in the final third and never looked capable of overturning the deficit.

Tiffoney could at least have given them a lifeline in the closing stages, only to glance his header off target after being picked out all alone by Steve Lawson’s cross.

Man of the match – Tony Watt

The striker led the line superbly and his poacher's finish made it two goals in two games — The striker led the line superbly and his poacher’s finish made it two goals in two games

What did we learn?

Motherwell’s enforced break – they returned last weekend from a near four-week absence after having two games postponed – has not stalled their momentum.

It’s now successive wins for last season’s third-place side and they were ruthless at both ends of the pitch in a commanding performance.

Livingston, though, have gone completely off the boil as their run of five consecutive wins has been followed with a worrying sequence of defeats.