Alfred Johansson appeared to have walked into an incredibly difficult job at Motherwell this summer.

Motherwell finished fourth in the Scottish Premiership last season, playing some of the best football you could wish to see, and all on one of the top-flight’s lowest budgets.

Not only was Johansson following in Jens Berthel Askou’s sizeable footsteps after the Danish manager left for Toulouse, he was also dealing with the departures of key players in Elijah Just, Elliot Watt and Calum Ward, who have joined Swansea City, Samsunspor and QPR, respectively.

And yet, the Swede has started in fine style.

Sunday’s 2-1 win at Hibernian was a third victory on the spin after a 5-0 aggregate success against Faroese outfit HB Torshavn and they showed two very different sides of themselves at Easter Road.

Amid a second-half onslaught from the hosts, Motherwell stood firm, led defensively by summer recruit Martin Moormann, before Ibrahim Said scored a brilliant winner on the break.

“It was a game of ups and downs for both teams and obviously I’m really pleased to come out with the three points,” Johansson said.

“In the first half we showed some good stuff on the ball, but more than tactics, we have to praise the spirit of the team because at times we had to ride out storms.

“We have Martin Moormann throwing himself to make blocks, the front three dropping deep to help and Alex Paulsen making exceptional saves.

“When we hit it off, the good periods look really good, but we want those periods to be longer, but even months from now when we are better we will have to suffer and the guys showed they are ready to do that.”

Motherwell’s good periods at Easter Road got no better than the decisive goal, as they sliced Hibs open with slick one-touch passing.

Alex Lowry played a neat one-two with Said, released Dylan Williams down the left and he squared it to the Nigerian attacking midfielder, who slotted into the bottom corner and wheeled away towards a jubilant away end.

Johansson has continued to play a similar possession-based style to Askou, implementing small tweaks rather than significant change.

More than the performance though, it was the mentality of Johansson’s side that impressed former St Johnstone and Queen’s Park manager Callum Davidson.

“Hibs were the better team in the second half, but then Motherwell get the goal on the counter-attack,” he said on BBC Sportsound.

“Hibs will be so disappointed in how they lose the second goal. Motherwell took their chances and defended really well. It was a gritty display.”

Johansson pointed out eight players were making their Motherwell league debuts in Sunday’s win – five of them from the start.

“To show that kind of commitment and team spirit this early, all the credit to the players. It shows we have got the right characters in the door,” the Motherwell boss said.

The recruitment done so far certainly appears to be astute, with Moormann and fellow centre-back Jake Girdwood-Reich particularly impressive.

Those new players have plugged the gaps left, while combining with proven performers like Said and academy talents such as Mikey Booth, who started both legs against HB.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the fast start to the new season, Motherwell are clearly enjoying these early weeks under the 35-year-old.

“The group was so together, it still feels the same. It feels like a family,” said Regan Charles-Cook before the trip to Easter Road.

“The manager has brought in his own methods and stamped his authority on the team. We’re all really enjoying it,” midfielder Oscar Priestman told Sky Sports.

Yes, sterner games are still to come – starting at HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round of the Conference League on Thursday – but Johansson and his new-look side have passed every test to date with flying colours.