But judging by the look Ross Forbes shot him there was no way O’Brien was getting a shot at redemption.

The midfielder squandered a late spot-kick against Rangers last weekend which, to add insult to injury, was shown live on television. There might have been a swift opportunity for him to exorcise his demons when Sean Dillon’s eagerness to retrieve his wayward pass resulted in the former Celtic winger being scythed down inside the box yesterday. All eyes, somewhat cruelly, fell on O’Brien as referee David Somers pointed to the spot but his reluctant toss of the ball to Forbes suggested he knows he will have to wait a while longer before he has the chance to redeem himself. It was a sentiment endorsed by the self-confident Forbes, who converted expertly.

“Obviously I’m on the penalties,” he said defiantly when asked if he had contemplated giving O’Brien a second chance. “If I’m not on the park then it’s up to whoever is brave enough to step up. Jim was brave enough last week and it was just unfortunate.”

With apologies to those with sympathies towards United, the penalty, awarded after 66 minutes, came as a relief from the dire monotony that had preceded it. With both teams boasting similar fortunes so far this season – unbeaten in the league and coming off the back of battling performances against opposite sides of the Old Firm – there was a sense that Tannadice could have been privy a firecracker. As it happened, it was to be a damp squib.

United started brightly enough with Danny Cadamarteri intent on continuing a start to the season in which he has been belatedly making a name for himself after he moved to Tayside to revitalise a faltering career.

The 30-year-old possesses some admirable traits with his insatiable engine and brutish strength, but these were eclipsed by a fundamental lack of flair. More disappointing still for Craig Levein, the Dundee United manager, is that Cadamarteri and midfielder Prince Buaben, were the only two of his players who performed yesterday.

Levein had clearly been left unimpressed by how his team had gone about their business and was more than frank when it came to airing his displeasure. “It starts with ‘s’ and ends in ‘hit’,” he said, leaving little room for misinterpretation.

“We just didn’t get going today, too many players were below par. I wouldn’t say that our attacking play was anywhere near the standards that we’ve set in recent weeks so we didn’t win the game because of that. Maybe Prince and Nicky Weaver would be the two that didn’t do anything wrong. Too many lads underperformed, I don’t think there is any doubt we missed Scotty [Robertson] and Morgaro [Gomis] in the midfield and never really played with the same gusto and passing. We’d said this season that we had a stronger squad but unfortunately today it didn’t look like it.”

Motherwell had started the game with the intention of stifling their hosts but quickly changed things around, sacrificing Steven Jennings for on-loan striker Lukas Jutkiewicz in an effort to add potency to their front line with John Sutton’s presence becoming increasingly flitting.

Despite Forbes’ winning contribution, the youngster should not emerge with all the plaudits. They should be reserved for the Motherwell goalkeeper, John Ruddy. He was seldom called upon in the earlier part of the afternoon but, with United suitably riled after conceding, became the reason maximum points were taken back to Lanarkshire.

Ruddy’s main contribution was a remarkable triple save after 71 minutes; at point-blank range from first Darren Dods and then Cadamarteri before foiling Andy Webster’s follow-up on the line. It was a heroic moment from the man on loan from Everton, and earned him praise from both his manager and Forbes.

“It was world-class stuff that definitely kept us in the game,” said the latter. “We could so easily have been left with one point instead of three. “John has been brilliant, I think he has cemented his place in the team and by making saves like that he is showing you why.”