Aberdeen 'narrative' turned on its head as Dons make statement over their full potential after Motherwell rout
The Dons boss was made up after his side came out on top against Motherwell.
Stephen Robinson says Aberdeen showed what they’re all about after steamrolling former side Motherwell 4-0 at Fir Park.
Just 72 hours removed from going the distance and winning on penalties in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Kilmarnock, the Dons routed their shell-shocked hosts, going ahead before half-time through Gavin Molloy. Conor Ronan doubled their lead instantly after the break with strike duo Ayoub Mouloua and Kevin Nisbet finishing things off on a resounding night for Aberdeen.
They head to Hibs next in a huge Premiership clash, where pressure is mounting on head coach David Gray, after their 1-0 home loss to Kilmarnock. Aberdeen entered the game 10th and with news CEO Alan Burrows had left the club but any lingering angst was banished on a major night for the Dons. Robinson feels his team displayed their ceiling when firing on all cylinders.
Motherwell 0-4 Aberdeen review
“Motherwell are a really good team and to put in that level of performance and score so many goals, not many do it here,” said Robinson. “It was a very good performance after a really gusty cup win. It gives some momentum but it’s a few games and we need to continue to do it. It’s my job to ignore the noise. I know the changes and the transition.
“It’s not going to be straightforward so I have to keep the players believing. Winning gives you belief. You could see them growing into the game with the times they broke it could have been more. We had a lot of penetration which we’ve not had - an end product - but tonight we did so I’m very happy. We showed what we can do when we’re disciplined and we have really good quality on the break.
“They’ve carried on from Saturday. The clean sheets haven’t been the problem. It’s been the other end with creativity and the final decision. We showed our quality. Motherwell have had a very good start and we’re a point behind so it’s amazing how a narrative makes people think. Belief is everything. I see what they can do and when you win it gives them real belief. It’s important to continue it and I don’t get carried away.”
Counterpart Alfred Johansson was disappointed with how Motherwell responded to their early second half setback. He added: “We played a good first half. They go into half-time leading 1-0. It feels like it’s not perfect but if we adjust our attacking phases and find our players in their best positions we’d try to go and win the game. After thirty seconds we conceded after build-up phase.
“That’s a punch in the face. I didn't like the reaction, we stress and it’s so difficult emotionally for a young team to keep their cool and stay on track and in that moment we were stressing and lost the structure a bit and certainly around the third goal we are very direct playing balls in the air very early so we didn’t play the second half well. The frustration is we aren't staying true to ourselves in the second half.”
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