Motherwell 3 - 0 Aberdeen: How the players rated

Ratings out of ten for every player in Motherwell's Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Aberdeen.

Motherwell's Curtis Main wheels away after opening the scoring. Picture: SNS/Rob Casey

MOTHERWELL

Trevor Carson - 7

Motherwell’s player of the year had little opportunity to show why. Made a sharp stop from Rooney, but was otherwise untroubled by a dysfunctional Dons attack.

Cedric Kipre - 8

An imperious display by the Ivorian, who mopped up balls in behind and dominated Rooney and May, both in the air and on the ground.

Tom Aldred - 8

Part of a central defence that barely gave Aberdeen a sniff at goal, throwing his body into danger whenever Aberdeen looked to have fashioned an opportunity.

Charles Dunne - 8

The least-celebrated of Well’s defensive unit, Dunne coped ably with Greg Stewart and was an impressive as his colleagues in shutting out the Dons.

Andy Rose - 7

Deputising for Carl McHugh in holding midfield, Rose dealt with the threat Aberdeen’s attacking players posed and helped defend the lead as the Dons probed.

Richard Tait - 8

The stand-in captain set up the crucial first goal, even if it did come off his arm, and worked tirelessly down the left flank.

Chris Cadden - 7

He’ll be over-shadowed in the aftermath by some of his teammates, but Cadden put in a real shift on the right flank.

Liam Grimshaw - 9

A performance that epitomised the Motherwell approach. Never allowed the opposition to settle and dominated the battle in the middle of the pitch.

Allan Campbell - 8

A tenacious, brave, display from the youngster which helped Motherwell gain the upper hand in the centre of the park from the early stages.

Curtis Main - 9

Louis who? The January replacement for Moult cemented his place as Well fans’ new favourite with two smart finishes and a magnificently hard-working display

Ryan Bowman - 8

Showed his tenacious nature by hooking an effort past Lewis at the second attempt and was a thorn in the Aberdeen defence’s side throughout.

SUBS

Nadir Ciftci - 6

A welcome return, but a final appearance is dependent on Celtic’s result against Rangers.

George Newell - N/A

Late sub who suffered from a painful-looking impact with the turf.

Ross MacLean - N/A

Arrived into the action with only a couple of minutes to play.

ABERDEEN

Joe Lewis - 5

So often a reliable presence, but seemed caught on his heels for Bowman’s goal that creeped past him and struggled to distribute the ball effectively.

Dominic Ball - 3

An unpleasant visit to Hampden for Ball, who lost Tait and stopped to appeal for handball at the opening goal, and struggled afterwards.

Kari Arnason - 3

A nightmare of a performance from the Icelandic international. Muscled off the ball for the second goal and unable to clear his lines at the third.

Scott McKenna - 5

The stand-in captain’s wretched clearance paved the way for Main’s first goal and he looked unusually uncomfortable against Motherwell’s bustling front two.

Andrew Considine - 6

The best of Aberdeen’s back four which, admittedly, isn’t saying a great deal. Dealt reasonably well with Motherwell’s forays down his flank.

Anthony O’Connor - 4

Appeared lost in the Dons midfield, as Aberdeen struggled to cope with Motherwell’s direct approach. Didn’t effectively support his defenders when they needed it.

Chidiebere Nwakali - 4

The young loanee was unable to exert any influence in the middle of the park before being substituted late in the first half with an injury.

Greg Stewart - 6

Looked sharp in opening stages - and towards the end - without offering an effective final ball. Fell out of the game during the middle section.

Ryan Christie - 5

Seems a lost figure at the moment. McInnes would have looked for him to influence proceedings in the final third, but he was ineffectual.

Stevie May - 5

He pulled Aberdeen’s best first half opportunity well wide when he should have hit the target, which summed up his display. Industrious but lacking confidence.

Adam Rooney - 4

A stinging drive mid-way through the second half was all Rooney had to show for a semi-final appearance where he offered next to nothing.

SUBS

Gary Mackay-Steven - 6

His introduction briefly injected some life in the Aberdeen display, but couldn’t turn the tide.

Niall McGinn - 5

Introduced with the game slipping away. Bright but introduced too late to have an impact.

Sam Cosgrove - N/A

A late appearance with the game already out of sight.