Derby day hasn't been Motherwell's favourite occasion on the fixture calendar of late and their wait for a win has stretched to over 18 months after a 4-1 humbling at home to Hamilton Accies.
New gaffer Graham Alexander tasted his first home defeat this afternoon and the manner of the first half display will provide cause for concern after the Steelmen had appeared to turn a corner over the last few weeks.
Here are the Motherwell talking points from a nightmare day in North Lanarkshire.
Rude awakening for Alexander and Lucketti
Assistant boss Chris Lucketti said at his pre-match press conference on Friday that doing the basics right would be key to a victory, but the Steelmen couldn't put a foot right at Fir Park in the first half.
Although they improved after the break, the damage was already done and, down to 10-men, they were always going to be right up against it.
Hamilton were afforded too much time to swing balls into the box in the early stages, Motherwell could barely win a header in the box and there was loose passes from the likes of Barry Maguire that you wouldn't normally expect.
That allowed Accies to gain a foothold and build confidence as the visitors bossed the game on their rivals own patch.
Whether the Steelmen having to grind out a hard-fought 1-0 win at Kilmarnock in midweek while Accies had their game at Livingston called off played a factor, Alexander - who was sent to the stand late on as his frustrations got the better of him - wasn't using that as an excuse at full-time.
The manner of the first-half display is a rude awakening for a side that had started to show signs they had turned a huge corner after losing 3-0 in the last derby.
The Fir Park faithful will hope this is just a blip and the form they showed in recent displays against Celtic and Kilmarnock returns when they host St Johnstone next Saturday.
Captain O'Donnell doesn't lead by example
Stephen O'Donnell had the captain's armband in Declan Gallagher's injury absence, but he gave Motherwell an insurmountable mountain to climb.
His inexplicable pull of the arm on Ross Callachan to give away a penalty earned him his marching orders.
Alexander admitted he hadn't seen the penalty incident back when he spoke post-match, but felt harshly done by.
However, by the letter of the law, referee David Munro was correct to deliver the 'double whammy' of sending O'Donnell off for making no attempt to win the ball in denying the goalscoring opportunity.
Alexander revealed O'Donnell apologised to him for his sending off and that tells you he know he made a mistake, rather than being a victim of injustice.
In a big game, though, most of Motherwell's big players didn't perform.
It's hard to criticise Allan Campbell, given he has been the real driving force behind their recent good form going into the game, but it was a quiet afternoon from the talismanic midfielder.
Tony Watt will also feel he should have done better with a first half header as he stood unmarked in the Accies box. It was a difficult day for the strikers, though, who weren't offered much service.
Blow for top six hopes
After winning three of their last four, the derby was a chance to ease any fears of being dragged back into a relegation battle and start looking up the table.
They are five points off the top six with only a few games until the split and this result, coupled with the psychological blow it could inflict, could see those hopes go up in smoke.
Scottish Premiership table pic.twitter.com/vSkhLATNA2
— SPFL (@spfl) February 13, 2021
Motherwell now find themselves four points off the bottom of the table and Alexander and the fans alike will hope this proves to be a massive wake-up call that the job is far from done in terms of survival.
Derby hoodoo continues
Motherwell will be sick of the sight of their derby rivals this season.
Three games played, three defeats.
You have to go back to August 2019 for their last win over Accies and March of that year for a last home win.
And that's now, incredibly, three consecutive defeats at Fir Park for the Steelmen.
A change of manager and an upturn in performances gave 'Well fans belief that this was the time for Motherwell to stop the rot, but they are left licking their wounds once again.
If they do finish in the bottom six, the post-split fixtures will give them one last chance to redeem themselves this season.
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