EAMONN BROPHY kept his head to salvage a point for St Mirren while everyone else inside Fir Park lost theirs.
The Buddies forward pulled back what appeared to be a consolation as he rounded and finishing past Liam Kelly before slamming home a penalty which had to be retaken.
Motherwell looked to have the game all wrapped up after Tony Watt’s quickfire double in the opening stage of the second-half had them well in control.
But in the end Graham Alexander’s men were forced to settle for a point after the Buddies battled back with no lack of controversy in their comeback.
For all the excitement that would come in the second period at Fir Park, it was a drab first-half with little in the way of goalmouth action.
St Mirren controlled possession for most of the first 45 minutes but were limited to long-range efforts as Motherwell too struggled to create any clear sights of goal.
Brophy and Connor Ronan came closest to a breakthrough with efforts from range whistling just wide of the goal. But in truth neither side deserved to be ahead at the break.
But in the second half, after spending much of the first-half without the ball, Motherwell came out invigorated and raced into a two-goal lead.
Sean Goss picked the ball up on the left flank before curling in an inviting cross to the backpost where Watt rose highest to brilliantly head into the ground and bouncing into the far corner.
Fir Park erupted as star man Watt grabbed the opener just three minutes after the break.
And they would be celebrating again just four minutes later. Watt again was instrumental as he drove into the box before going down under the challenge of the onrushing Jak Alnwick in the Buddies’ goal.
Bobby Madden pointed to the spot despite furious protest with Watt stroking the ball into the bottom corner to double his and his sides’ tally.
There’s no denying the Buddies and Jim Goodwin looked shellshocked from the opening period after a largely comfortable first-half. And it looked like it wouldn’t be their night as Brophy was denied seconds later with Kelly getting a strong right hand on a dinked effort.
However, Brophy was relentless in his quest for a goal. He was eventually rewarded in the 74th minute as he sprinted onto a Ronan pass to round Kelly, who had rushed out of goal, and slide into the empty net.
Two minutes later and Brophy had followed Watt’s lead in not only scoring his side’s first but then winning a penalty.
The striker raced into the box knocking the ball past Sondre Solholm Johansen before going down after colliding with the central defender.
Brophy stepped up to take the penalty but was denied by an incredible diving save from Kelly. But there was more drama to come as whistler Madden blew his whistle and signalled the penalty was to be retaken with Kelly ruled to have come off his line early.
Brophy remained cool to slam the ball into right side of the goal with his second spot-kick after tempers flared both on the park and in the stands in reaction to the major call.
The Buddies were back in the game and from nowhere looked to snatch three points having been left for dead just minutes earlier – and they came mightily close.
Curtis Main sent two efforts past the left post with less than ten minutes to play, but Richard Tait and Conor McCarthy would be inches away from a winner.
Tait almost haunted his former club with a header from close range very well saved by Kelly before the ball broke to McCarthy who unleashed a powerful effort which required another fantastic fingertip save from Kelly as the points were shared.
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