St Johnstone closed the gap on fellow strugglers Motherwell to give themselves a Premier League lifeline with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Fir Park.

Saints were in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom but two first half goals from Grant Murray and Peter MacDonald cut the deficit to just five points at the foot of the table.

Not even the dismissal of Ross Forsyth, who was sent off along with Greg Strong after a 57th minute altercation, could put a dampener on the result which gave the visitors three well-earned points.

Motherwell substitute James McFadden, who came on for Derek Adams, scored a consolation goal with the aid of a deflection from Paul Kane but it was too little, too late for the home side.

The home side, unbeaten in Lanarkshire since early November, started confidently and had the first effort on goal after only four minutes.

Steven Hammell sprinted from the half-way line with the ball at his feet but his shot from 30 yards lacked conviction and sailed high over Miller's bar.

But the visitors looked lively in attack and moments later Tommy Lovenkrands came close with an angled shot after Paddy Connolly had slipped a nice ball through the Fir Park defence.

Then, in the ninth minute, the visitors took the lead after a mistake by Stuart Elliott.

The winger made a hash of clearing the ball in the penalty area and it fell kindly to the on-coming Murray.

The ex-Hearts player ran onto it and lashed a low drive past Stephen Woods in the Motherwell goal.

Motherwell fought hard to get back into the game but Saints were looking dangerous on the break and with more guile could have carved out some more scoring opportunities.

On the half-hour mark, Saints midfielder Nick Dasovic had an angled snap-shot but the ball was directed straight at keeper Woods who gathered easily.

The home side continued to push for the equaliser, forcing a series of corners but failed to put Miller under any pressure although Elliott's close range header went only inches wide.

Four minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead with a goal out of the blue.

Connolly slipped the ball to MacDonald at the edge of the box although there seemed no scoring threat.

But the ex-Rangers player took a touch and drove a tremendous shot past the helpless Woods.

Well manager Eric Black brought on young James McFadden at the beginning of the second half to replace Derek Adams in attempt to get back into a game which was in danger of slipping away from them.

The home side did force the pace from the re-start but found Saints determined to hold on their lead and MacDonald might have grabbed his second if his close range header from a Connolly cross had been clinical.

Instead, the youngster's weak effort from only three yards out sailed over the bar to the relief of the home fans.

But both sides were soon down to 10 men each.

Referee John Rowbotham, with the help of his assistant Robert McKendry, noticed Forsyth and Strong taking a kick at each other.

The match official consulted his assistant and produced a red card for both players.

There seemed little in the incident but neither player made too much out of it, indicating the referee had made the correct decision.

The closing stages of the game were a nervous time for the Saints players, who survived a series of scares, most notably when Lovenkrands blocked on the line in injury time.

Motherwell substitute McFadden scored a consolation goal with the aid of a deflection from Paul Kane but the strike came too late to prevent the Perth side claiming an SPL lifeline.

Teams:

Motherwell: Woods, Hammell, Ready, Strong, Deloumeaux, Leitch (Martinez 78), Lasley (Pearson 78), Soloy, Kelly, Elliott, Adams (McFadden 45).

Subs Not Used: Brown, Corrigan.

Sent Off: Strong (58).

Goals: McFadden 90.

St Johnstone: Miller, Murray, Dods, McCluskey, Forsyth, Dasovic, Kane, Hartley, Lovenkrands, Macdonald (Falconer 77), Connolly (Djebaili 84).

Subs Not Used: Russell, Cuthbert, Fotheringham.

Sent Off: Forsyth (57).

Booked: Macdonald.

Goals: Murray 9, Macdonald 38.

Att: 4,659

Ref: J Rowbotham (Scotland).