Stephen Craigan suffered defeat in his second match as Motherwell caretaker manager as Dundee held on for a 2-1 victory at Dens Park.
The Ladbrokes Premiership game came to life after half-time and Rory Loy flicked home the opener before Kevin Holt fired home a deflected free-kick.
Dundee were cruising towards three points until Stephen Pearson netted with seven minutes left but Motherwell could not force another clear chance.
Craigan, who led Motherwell to victory over Partick Thistle the previous weekend, will now discuss with owner Les Hutchison whether he becomes a candidate to replace the sacked Ian Baraclough on a full-time basis.
The major incidents of the first half were injuries to Dundee pair Greg Stewart and Kevin Thomson and Motherwell winger Lionel Ainsworth.
Dundee were already missing captain James McPake because of a jaw injury while Motherwell started with a 4-1-4-1 formation with Josh Law restored at right-back and Louis Moult wide on the left.
They were hemmed in during the opening stages as Stewart got on the ball in some dangerous areas, but he could not trouble Connor Ripley with several efforts.
Stewart’s afternoon lasted less than half an hour before he was injured by a late, sliding challenge from the back-tracking Moult, who earned a booking.
As Stewart hobbled round the perimeter of the pitch to be replaced by Gary Harkins, Ainsworth went down clutching his thigh after slipping on the heavily-watered turf. Marvin Johnson came on to play on the Motherwell right wing.
The visitors, wearing black armbands in memory of former skipper Joe Wark, who died on Thursday, gradually imposed themselves on the game.
Moult fired over on the run from 18 yards before releasing Scott McDonald, whose cross was just too high for Johnson.
Thomson went off not long before the break after failing to run off a knee problem, Jesse Curran coming on for his debut.
Dundee finished the half strongly and threatened from several Harkins set-pieces.
Ripley saved two free-kicks before holding Thomas Konrad’s header following a corner.
It was a Harkins free-kick that led to the opener 13 minutes after the break. Motherwell were still penned in following the lofted ball into the box as Riccardo Calder fired the ball back into the goalmouth for Loy to turn home with the heel of his boot.
Harkins almost cost his side moments later when he lost the ball to Keith Lasley but Johnson mishit his shot after being picked out 12 yards out by McDonald and the ball spun into Scott Bain’s hands.
Ripley got down well to save from Loy after the former Falkirk striker made space 18 yards out but the Motherwell goalkeeper was soon beaten in the 70th minute.
Holt drilled a low free-kick through the wall from 22 yards and into the bottom corner, the deflection doing enough to take it further away from Ripley.
Motherwell threw on strikers Wes Fletcher and Theo Robinson and reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.
Moult looped a header just over but Dundee came close to a third when Harkins’ shot hit off team-mate Kane Hemmings and spun just wide.
Motherwell got back in the game out of the blue in the 83rd minute when Pearson drilled a ball across the face of goal that evaded several players and Bain before going in off the post.
However, Johnson overhit a cross in the visitors’ best opportunity to level.