Kilmarnock were left disappointed by Motherwell as they were held to a goalless draw at William Hill Premiership Rugby Park.
It was far from a classic, but the Ayrshire side deserved all three points as they dominated their opponents.
Kilmarnock had 16 shots, 14 corners and conceded a goal, it was true, but they couldn’t find a way through Motherwell’s resolute defence.
Derek McInnes’ men could have moved into the top six with a win but remain in ninth place, with Motherwell holding on for a point to consolidate their place in fifth.
Kilmarnock missed a golden chance to open the scoring after just three minutes when Marley Watkins made a mistake from 10 yards after Fraser Murray’s clever strike.
The hosts continued their bright start and Corey Ndaba’s drilled cross was almost deflected into his own net by Liam Gordon.
From the resulting corner, Aston Oxborough made a remarkable reflex save to keep out Joe Wright’s goal-bound effort before Ewan Wilson hooked the ball over the line.
After weathering the early storm, Motherwell started to play and Tony Watt forced Robbie McCrory into a comfortable low save in the 24th minute after good work from Tawanda Masvanhaize.
Killie thought they had broken the deadlock after just three minutes when Brad Lyon stabbed home after a great run from Murray, but it was ruled offside after a VAR review.
Brad Lyon thought he had given Kealy the lead, but after a VAR review, he was ruled offside.
There was more frustration for Kilmarnock when referee Don Robertson dismissed a penalty appeal for a handball on Kofi Ballmer and the VAR officials agreed.
Kilmarnock had more than 70 per cent possession in the first half and they came very close to finally getting the goal their half-time performance deserved when Lyon’s header bounced off the post.
The second half started uneventfully but Killie went close again after 54 minutes when Wright headed wide from a corner before McCrory again denied Motherwell striker Watt’s low effort.
There was a distinct lack of quality from both sides throughout the game, but the second half was particularly dire with Motherwell clearly missing the guile of their talisman Lennon Miller.
Kilmarnock continued to push for the opener as the second half wore on and Oxborough pulled off another good save to deny Watkins from close range after 75 minutes.
Motherwell introduced new signing Kai Andrews in the closing stages and he looked to have burst into the box in the 85th minute when the ball fell to Watt with command, but he pulled his shot well wide.
And just minutes later, another substitute missed the chance to become a hero when Bruce Anderson headed wide on the turn before Killie narrowly won in the last minute.
A great track from Bobby Wells found Jack Burrows eight yards out with an open goal, but Dan Casey made a great save to earn his side a hard-fought point.
The leaders
Kilmarnock’s Derek McInnes.
“Dies have to feel like losses at home and it felt like that tonight. It was a one-way street and we completely dominated the game. Everything we worked on was there, but you have to find a way to score.
“Motherwell defended well, we got a goal disallowed and hit the post. It’s hard to be critical when the only side missing in the last half, but we have to make sure they win performances.
“We need to score more goals when we dominate games like this to get to where we want to be as a team. You’re not always going to dominate games like this, but when you do, you have to take your chances.
“The last few games have felt like missed opportunities for us because tonight we could have moved into the top six.
“I thought we should have had a penalty. Ballmer’s arm was out and away from his body, so I’m surprised it wasn’t looked at.
“I never saw it at the time, but when I got to my phone, I had about 10 messages. My analyst showed me the replay, and I thought it was.”
Motherwell’s Stuart Kettlewell.
“It was (an uncomfortable watch) in many ways. If I’m brutally honest, Kilmarnock were the better side, created the better chances and controlled the game better.
“I felt like we never got started and we let them come to us. They put too many balls in our box and we relied too much on our goalkeeper tonight.
“He was sensational and you need that in the league, but we played a lot better and lost this season. It was our second clean sheet and we’re only three points off third.”
