Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson insists he cannot be too critical of the players even though his side's Ladbrokes Premiership top-six hopes suffered a significant blow in Saturday's loss to Hibernian.

First-half goals from Marc McNulty and David Gray gave the Leith side the spoils and left Motherwell five points adrift of Saturday's opponents with only three games to go before the split.

The Fir Park outfit created the first chance of the game after only 22 seconds when Hibs defender Lewis Stevenson turned Gboly Ariyibi's cross against his own post, but the visitors struggled to conjure up further openings.

Motherwell had travelled to Easter Road brimming with confidence having won seven of their previous nine league matches and Robinson insists he cannot fault his team's application in Edinburgh.

He said: "It's disappointing as we've lost from two set plays but it's hard to be too hard on the boys as I felt we dominated large parts of possession, especially in the second half.

"In the final third of the pitch, we just lacked the percentages. Our final pass and cross were the difference.

"There was not a whole lot that they created against us, there are a lot of positives to takes out of the game.

"There are just three games to go so, of course, it's a blow to getting into the top six."

Hibs went ahead from the penalty spot in the 19th minute after defender Tom Aldred was adjudged to have blocked a McNulty shot with his arm.

McNulty made no mistake from 12 yards to take his tally to seven goals from as many games.

Captain Gray doubled the home side's lead six minutes before the break when he headed in Stevie Mallan's corner.

Hibs head coach Paul Heckingbottom, who has now won four of his first five league games, was pleased with his side's overall performance.

He said: "I'd have liked another goal in the second half, we said at half-time the next goal was vital.

"We had a couple of chances from crosses, Daryl (Horgan) snatched at one which could have been important. That would have made it more comfortable.

"But because of the stage we are at in the season and the form they are in I knew they'd throw things at us.

"We wanted to be in that position, being 2-0 up, but you also know they're going to do that. So yeah, we were pleased with our defending in the end as well."