Motherwell strike gold again with Arsenal loanee Mika Biereth but Hibs' exploits are coming at a cost

Cometh the hour, cometh Mika Biereth. Have Motherwell again struck gold in the striker department? On the evidence of this cameo, it seems that they have.

Motherwell's Mika Biereth scored on his debut as the Steelmen overcame Hibs.

The 20-year-old's introduction proved decisive in this deserved 2-1 win over a creaking Hibs side. Lee Johnson’s appeal to his players to adapt to the schedule demands of European football – and quickly – has clearly not sunk in yet.

The more than decent chance of qualifying for the play-off round of the Conference League against Luzern on Thursday, when they will defend a 3-1 lead, has come at a cost. Hibs are struggling to ignite in the league, save for last weekend’s ultimately fruitless two-goal comeback against St Mirren.

This was not very pretty in purple from Hibs, who failed to shine in their second strip. Their goal threat was negligible to the point of non-existent. Motherwell showed far more in that department and gleaned the rewards after Biereth’s eye-catching cameo. The 20-year-old Arsenal loanee clearly has an eye for goal but has the physical presence to suggest he could in time be well suited to the English Premier League.

The way Biereth struck his side’s clincher with five minutes left suggested he can be very special indeed. The goal signalled a mass exit of Hibs away fans. Next stop for many of them will be Switzerland. A 2-1 defeat might suit their side then but it was not an acceptable outcome here. Substitute Adam Le Fondre’s late penalty – his second in two league games for Hibs, both times from the bench – did provide a glimmer of hope. But the clock by this time was firmly against Hibs, who must wait nearly two weeks to attempt to kick-start their league season against Livingston.

Motherwell against Hibs is a fixture that promises goals. Four the last time they met. Five the time before that. And of course that 6-6 epic from 13 years ago. But the first-half here was dire. The only real excitement came from Dan Casey’s header from Pape Souare’s cross that crashed off the bar three minutes before half time.

That seemed to be the last straw for Johnson, who rang the changes at half time. Thursday’s European assignment in Switzerland perhaps helped account for Boyle starting proceedings on the bench but he was brought on for the second 45 minutes. Le Fondre joined the winger on the pitch, with both Dylan Levitt and Dylan Vente sacrificed.

The latter in particular was a surprise but then his strike partner Christian Doidge did come close to equalising for Hibs after the interval. His header from Lewis Miller’s long throw narrowly cleared the bar. That was as good as it got for Hibs until the late penalty, awarded after a VAR check for a handball on Casey. Le Fondre thundered the ball home.

But it was too little too late thanks to Biereth, who replaced Theo Bair ten minutes after half-time. Ten minutes later he wriggled his way to the byline after out-muscling Lewis Stevenson before cutting back for Conor Wilkinson. With David Marshall wrong-footed, the Irish striker just had to steer the ball into the open net.

Biereth was only just getting started. A clipped ball forward from Lennon Miller pitted Biereth against Will Fish, who looked to be winning the race before the striker exerted his presence and left the centre-half in a heap. There was still much to do. Biereth chopped this way and that way before rifling a reverse shot past Marshall into the corner to cap one of the great Fir Park debuts.