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Jonny Hayes scores early Aberdeen winner

Aberdeen move above Celtic into fifth

Motherwell remain second bottom

Well lose at Pittodrie for first time in 10 visits

Jonny Hayes' early strike was enough to end Motherwell's nine-game unbeaten run at Pittodrie and move Aberdeen above Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

The Dons will remain fifth at least until the reigning champions take on Kilmarnock on Sunday.

It started so brightly when Hayes broke through to score after two minutes.

But the Dons will take few positives other than three points from what was a dull war of attrition against visitors so obviously in football's doldrums.

Motherwell arrived looking to protect a proud record of not having lost at Pittodrie since November 2008.

Their last visit, on the final league day of last season, ended with a 1-0 victory that allowed the men in claret and amber to leapfrog their opponents and clinch the runners-up spot in the top-flight.

However, these are changed days, with the Steelmen looking more punch drunk than punching above their weight as the Motherwell miracle forged by Stuart McCall begins to run out of budget-belying steam.

Jonny Hayes fired past Dan Twardzik for his third goal of the season

This time they made the journey north sitting second bottom - three points above hapless Ross County - without a win in five games, having lost their last three and being 12 points worse off than at the same stage last season.

Aberdeen themselves were looking to recover from a bruising 3-0 defeat by surprise leaders Hamilton Academical, their first defeat in six games.

Manager Derek McInnes had wielded the axe, somewhat surprisingly, in the direction of goalkeeper Jamie Langfield, with summer signing Scott Brown handed a second start.

However, it was his more offensive changes - Peter Pawlett and Niall McGinn replaced Barry Robson and Adam Rooney - that paid an immediate dividend.

An intricate series of passes culminated in fleet-footed Hayes sweeping past a statuesque Stephen McManus before the winger buried a low drive under goalkeeper Dan Twardzik.

Hayes was buzzing and the stunned Well defence was almost immediately stung a second time as the winger burst into their penalty area once more and sent a deft chip on to the roof of the net.

There was no lack of effort from the visitors as they first steadied the ship then worked their way back into the game, but they were given a helping hand by former Cheltenham goalkeeper Brown.

Poor handling from the 29-year-old allowed McManus a chance to half-volley just over and, when the Englishman failed to command his penalty box at another corner, Simon Ramsden's powerful header just evaded the crossbar.

Motherwell, though, having scored a mere six league goals this season, were rarely able to fashion a chance through their own devices and it was not until the 75th minute that a Craig Reid snap shot the defender knew little about forced a save from Brown.

Four changes from McCall - starting Josh Law, Fraser Kerr, Reid and fit-again Stevie Hammell in place of Mark O'Brien, Lionel Ainsworth, Jack Leitch and Iain Vigurs - had failed to add any zip or creativity to his charges.

Not that the Dons were much better and the closest the home side came to adding to the scoring was an in-swinging Robson corner that was fumbled by Twardzik, one of a string of nervous moments from the goalkeeper that exemplified the dark hole of uncertainty engulfing Fir Park.

Goalkeeper Jamie Langfield was dropped to the Aberdeen bench

Goalkeeper Scott Brown started his first league game for Aberdeen

Niall McGinn and David Goodwillie were involved in the move that led to Jonny Hayes' goal

Motherwell players looked dejected as they trooped off Pittodrie

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall was left to ponder another defeat