Irish Premiership: Cliftonville 1-3 Coleraine

Champions Cliftonville fell to a second home defeat in four days as Coleraine clinched their first league win of the season in Monday's Premiership clash.

Stephen Lowry gave the Bannsiders a 19th-minute lead with a deflected shot.

Two goals in four minutes in the second half, scored by Stephen Carson and Gary Browne, put Coleraine in command.

Substitute Ciaran Doherty got one back for league leaders Cliftonville with a fine header but Coleraine got the win to move up to third in the table.

Coleraine, who had drawn all four of their 2013/14 Premiership fixtures before this game, put in an impressive display and fully deserved the victory.

Cliftonville were not able to include the Irish League's player of the year Liam Boyce from the start because of injury and he did not come on until the Reds were 3-0 down.

Coleraine set the tone early on with a bright start during which Browne's volley from the edge of the box was saved by Reds keeper Conor Devlin.

Lowry then made the breakthrough from Browne's lay-off with a shot which took a wicked deflection off the on-loan Paddy McNally.

Coleraine threatened to make it 2-0 but Devlin moved to his left to palm away a Gareth Tommons shot for a corner.

Straight form the restart Diarmiud O'Carroll fired a decent chance over the bar following Stephen Garrett's ball in from the left.

Then Ciaran Caldwell had an even better opportunity but failed to make a firm contact at the far post and sliced the ball wide.

Seconds later, though, Coleraine went close to making it 2-0 as Lowry's swerving shot struck the upright to keeper Devlin's left.

The Bannsiders, without a win in their last nine league fixtures, did double their lead through Carson in the 58th minute. He diverted first-time into the net after keeper Devlin had parried out another Lowry shot.

Four minutes later Coleraine were in dream land as they went 3-0 up against a team who, until last Friday, had won 24 domestic home fixtures in a row.

Former Linfield striker Browne got the goal, coolly directing an accurate shot from the left side of the penalty area just inside the far post.

Cliftonville pulled one back through a fine header by former Glenavon midfielder Doherty.

Browne was then just inches wide of making it 4-1 after Lowry's free was deflected into his path by the defensive wall.