Motherwell leapfrogged Dundee United into fourth spot in the William Hill Premiership after edging a memorable encounter 4-3 at Fir Park.

The Steelmen opened the scoring after just 45 seconds through Apostolos Stamatelopoulos before Sam Dalby levelled matters six minutes later.

Goals from Andy Halliday and Stamatelopoulos then had the home side in command at half-time, but an error from Aston Oxborough allowed Dalby to double his tally and drag the Terrors back into the match early in the second half.

It looked like Tom Sparrow had put the game out of reach for Motherwell when he steered past Jack Walton in the 68th minute, but Louis Moult nodded in with four minutes remaining to set up a tense finish.

It was a dream start for Well after Stamatelopoulos stabbed home Marvin Kaleta’s low cross with less than a minute on the clock.

However, United were given a golden opportunity for a quick reply in the sixth minute when Moult was brought down inside the box by Liam Gordon. Referee Nick Walsh consulted VAR before awarding a penalty and Dalby coolly sent Oxborough the wrong way from the spot.

Following a breathless opening, the game began to slow down, allowing the visitors to begin to control proceedings.

Dalby passed up an opportunity before Moult connected with Luca Stephenson’s pin-point delivery, only to see his header brilliantly turned round the post by Well keeper Oxborough.

Chances had been few and far between for the home side but they almost profited from a quick break just before the half-hour mark that ended with Tswana Maswanhise drilling the ball just wide of the target.

Two minutes later, good combination play between Halliday and Lennon Miller led to the Motherwell skipper flashing a shot narrowly wide.

The momentum was back with the hosts and they made it count in the 33rd minute. Harry Paton collected Kaleta’s cross and weaved inside and out to find some space inside the box before picking out Halliday, who was perfectly placed to turn the ball home from close-range.

Things got even better for Motherwell five minutes before the break as they stretched their advantage courtesy of Stamatelopoulos’ second goal of the afternoon, with the Australia international nodding home Maswanhise’s delivery.

The hosts began the second half the brighter of the sides, but saw their momentum halted following a calamitous moment for Oxborough.

Glenn Middleton sent over a deflected cross that looped into the air and the Well keeper would get nowhere near the ball as he raced from his line, allowing Dalby to head the ball into the gaping goal.

The home keeper went some way to making amends for his error in the 65th minute when he superbly parried away Dalby’s header after an excellent cross from Moult.

Moult had already netted against his former side in the Premier Sports Cup this season, and he could scarcely believe his luck when his shot crashed against the underside of the bar.

It was a moment the Terrors were left to rue just seconds later when a clinical break led to Stamatelopoulos feeding Sparrow to angle a low drive into the bottom corner.

The United players were convinced that Stamatelopoulos had handled in the lead-up to the goal, though Fir Park erupted when the goal was awarded after a short review.

There was still time for more drama when Moult found the net with four minutes left, and the home supporters had to endure some nervy moments as their side saw out a third victory over United this season.