John Sutton celebrates after shooting Motherwell level against St Mirren
Motherwell's second-half rally secured three points against 10-man St Mirren as John Sutton and Bob Malcolm strikes cancelled out Billy Mehmet's opener.
Gus MacPherson's men had taken the lead just before the half-hour mark when he converted Steven Robb's cross.
However, Sutton levelled early in the second period with a header and Malcolm bundled home a winner on 61 minutes.
St Mirren's Franco Miranda saw red on 70 minutes for an off-the-ball incident as his side went bottom of the SPL.
The game got off to a thrilling start as Mehmet forced home goalkeeper Graeme Smith into a second-minute save following a flowing move up the left flank involving Andy Dorman and Dennis Wyness.
Motherwell responded by heading straight upfield where John Sutton had a header from Keith Lasley's pass turned away by goalkeeper Mark Howard.
And from the subsequent Steven McGarry corner, Sutton's shot was blocked on the line.
Jamie Murphy then rolled an inviting ball from the right all the way across the face of the St Mirren goal, and Smith punched away Wyness' lofted drive from the right inside seven minutes.
The tempo slowed after that blistering start, the next chance falling to Wyness who sent a diagonal effort whistling narrowly wide of the left post from a Robb corner on 14 minutes.
Dorman lifting a close-range effort onto the roof of the Motherwell net and Mehmet headed into Smith's arms from another Robb cross.
Motherwell had a shot on goal just after the midway point of the half when David Clarkson picked up possession 25 yards from goal but drove his shot wide of the target.
It was St Mirren who found the net shortly afterwards, however, Mehmet opening the scoring after 29 minutes by collecting another Robb cross from the left flank and checking into a better position in the box before coolly firing low into Smith's net.
The striker is having a breakthrough season after notching his seventh goal of the campaign. He had only struck 14 times in his previous three years at the club.
Bob Malcolm came close to equalising for the hosts with a free kick 11 minutes before the interval, only to see his 25-yard effort tipped onto the bar by Howard.
Motherwell equalised within three minutes of the restart in all-too-simple fashion.
The hosts won a corner on the right which was delivered to the near post by Steven Hammell - and Sutton scored the easiest of goals against his former club by nodding home a free header.
David Clarkson sent a low drilled effort from outside the area into Howard's arms on after 52 minutes, and Sutton then won a free-kick just outside the edge of the box, which Murphy saw beaten away by the diving Howard.
However, Motherwell went ahead after 61 minutes through Malcolm. Murphy played a corner short to Hammell, who crossed into the box, and Malcolm was on hand to bundle the ball home from close range at the far post.
Miranda then tested Smith with a diagonal drive from outside the box which the goalkeeper had to parry away from his right-hand post, but the hosts came even closer to extending their lead minutes later through Steven Hammell.
The defender had a corner cleared and played back to him by Lasley and swung in a shot which crashed off the underside of the bar and rebounded to safety.
St Mirren were reduced to 10 men after 70 minutes when Franco Miranda received a straight red card after the assistant referee signalled he had used an elbow jostling with Sutton at a throw-in.
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee: "I'm happy with the result but not the performance.
"We made hard work of it and I'm really quite relieved.
"The goal early in the second half was crucial.
"There were question marks over us at half-time and we answered them."
St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson: "We needed a reaction from the players after Tuesday night's cup defeat to Dunfermline and certainly got that.
"After going ahead, we told the players to do the same again in the second half, but we conceded a poor goal so early.
"We didn't defend set-pieces particularly well.
"In regards to Franco Miranda's red card, it was impossible for me to see it, but he is adamant he was just trying to free himself from John Sutton."
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