Airdrieonians stunned Motherwell in the North Lanarkshire derby as two wonder goals from Rhys McCabe and Hearts loanee Scott McGill sealed a 2-0 win for the cinch League One side.

McCabe’s 30-yard free-kick after half-time was followed up by an equally-brilliant McGill effort, the youngster having only signed on loan from Hearts two-and-a-half hours before the match.

It was the first meeting between the Lanarkshire rivals since 2007 and Airdrie seemed fired up for the occasion, particularly in the second half. Graham Alexander’s Premiership side failed to create many clear-cut chances as Ian Murray’s team showed their quality when needed. Here are three things we learned.

Fast introduction

It was a whirlwind day for McGill with a perfect ending. Signing on loan from Hearts earlier on Wednesday, his shot from outside the box was excellent. He curled the ball into the top corner with ease, showing why he’s highly-rated at Tynecastle. A winner in a rare derby will be hard to top in Airdrie colours, but he’s only getting started.

‘Well disappointment

Alexander conceded post-match that he didn’t see his team trying to win enough second balls after half-time – and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment of Motherwell’s performance. Airdrie seemed to want the three points more, which will be of great frustration to the ‘Well manager.

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Bad night. (Photo by Peter Powell – Pool/Getty Images)

Wide open

Group F now has a new path. It looked as if Motherwell would win the group comfortably after opening wins against Queen’s Park and Queen of the South, but Airdrie’s victory changes things. A win for them away to Queen of the South on Saturday would see them top the section, while Motherwell would have to settle for second.

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