Motherwell blew a golden chance to close the gap on Hearts in the chase for a UEFA Cup place when they were hit by two late goals to give Dundee United victory in the Scottish Premier League.

The game turned on two incidents inside five minutes immediately after the re-start when United equalised with a crazy goal and Motherwell passed up the chance to go ahead for the second time.

Two goals inside three minutes in the closing stages then saw United claim their first league win in 13 outings.

Motherwell will look back on the game with despair and frustration. They began in a confident mood after a decisive win over Kilmarnock on Sunday.

The first-half display gave an indication that they would continue that form and put pressure on Hearts for that third place - and a passport to Europe next season.

Lee McCulloch gave the home fans hope with an opportunist goal on 22 minutes that proved an embarrassment to goalkeeper Alan Combe who had already looked uncomfortable when clearing the ball in front of his left post.

A Darren Patterson back-pass fell short, and with Combe trying to clear McCulloch nipped in to charge down the ball and fire an angular drive from an almost impossible angle into the top corner of the net.

Kevin Twaddle had two chances which he scorned, and Ged Brannan sent a 40-yard free-kick whizzing inches over the bar.

But the game turned within seconds of the re-start when Alex Mathie fired in a left-foot drive that seemed to hit a bump in front of Andy Goram and bounced out of the reach of the stranded goalkeeper.

Four minutes later McCulloch split the United defence to give John Spencer a free run in on goal, but with only Combe to beat the Scotland forward fired the ball wide of goal.

Had that ball gone in Motherwell would have begun to look comfortable winners. Instead it was United who took heart from the two incidents and began to take a firmer control of a game that had seemed to be drifting away from them before the break.

Stephen McConalogue was sent through but was halted in his tracks by a timely tackle from Martin Corrigan.

United were improving and on 81 minutes their urgency triggered off a series of howlers in the home defence.

Corrigan slipped as he tried to bring the ball clear, and substitute Jim Hamilton gleefully picked up the loose ball, cut inside and slipped the ball to David Hannah.

His first shot was blocked, and McConalogue tried an effort that was charged down before Hannah drilled home United's second.

Two minutes later Hannah floated over a corner that the home defence failed to clear - and tall central defender De Vos steered home at the post, leaving Goram stranded.

It was United's first league win since mid-December, and the three goals netted matched their scoring record for the past 12 games.

Teams:

Motherwell: Goram, Corrigan, Kemble, Strong, McMillan, Townsley (Curcic 65), Valakari, Brannan, Twaddle (Spencer 46), Goodman, McCulloch.

Subs Not Used: Nicholas, Adams, Woods.

Booked: McCulloch.

Goals: McCulloch 22.

Dundee Utd: Combe, Pascual, De Vos, Patterson, Malpas, Partridge (Easton 49), Hannah, Venetis (Davidson 82), S. McCulloch, McConalogue, Mathie (Hamilton 78).

Subs Not Used: Gallacher, Thompson.

Booked: Mathie.

Goals: Mathie 46, Hannah 81, De Vos 83.

Att: 4,271

Ref: Michael McCurry (Scotland).