Linfield beat Larne to go eight points clear at top

Joel Cooper scored an early winner for Linfield against back-to-back champions Larne

Linfield moved eight points clear at the top of the Irish Premiership table with a 1-0 win Larne at Inver Park on Saturday evening.

Joel Cooper drilled home the winning goal in the early stages as the Blues put 14 points behind themselves and the back-to-back champions of the last two seasons.

Earlier in the day, Ballymena United beat Cliftonville 1-0 at Solitude to move level on points with the second-placed Reds.

Andy Scott rifled home the winner in the 70th minute to end a run of four straight league defeats for the Sky Blues and bring to an end a sequence of four victories in a row for Jim Magilton's side.

Paul Heatley scored twice in Carrick Rangers' 3-0 win over his and his manager Stephen Baxter's former club Crusaders.

Meanwhile Shay McCartan's second-half penalty and a Ryan Mayse strike deep in stoppage time saw Portadown secure a 2-0 success over Glentoran at the Oval, a result which saw them leapfrog their opponents in the league table.

Matthew Shevlin was on target twice as Coleraine ran out 4-0 victors at Loughgall.

Dungannon Swifts brought to an end a run of three successive league losses by seeing off Glenavon 2-0 at Stangmore Park, making it six top flight outings without a win for Stephen McDonnell's side.

Blues clinch key win at Inver

Cooper's ninth minute strike beat Rohan Ferguson at his near post from the edge of the box as Linfield repelled a very blunt Larne effort to record a key win.

Larne made the mistake of allowing the attacker the freedom of their half and he required no further invitation to take advantage.

Larne were struggling to hold possession and the Blues almost made them pay again just before the 20 minute mark but for Cian Bolger's last-ditch intervention to deny Matt Fitzpatrick a routine finish.

Larne lost marksman Andy Ryan and Josh Seary to injury in a difficult first half and Sam Todd did not return for the second half after getting a cut on his head late in the first.

The second half was low on quality and on chances, although Joe Thomson fizzed a free-kick over the bar, but both keepers were largely bystanders as Linfield ground out a win to extend their lead at the top.

Larne, meanwhile, continue to languish in ninth albeit with three games in hand on Linfield and four on others above them.

Scott strike sees Sky Blues past Reds

At Soliude, Ballymena had a good opening inside the first seven minutes when a cross fell to Ethan Devine, who was left unmarked on the edge of the penalty area. His shot was well enough struck but was too close to David Odumosu to pose the Reds keeper any real problems.

Cliftonville came close when Micheal Glynn dug out a cross to the back post which Rory Hale nodded inches wide.

Cliftonville’s first shot on goal didn’t come until six minutes into the second period when Taylor Steven’s clever ball put Joe Gormley in behind the visiting defence but Sean O’Neill was able to keep his shot out with an outstretched leg.

Ballymena were under pressure in the second period but they almost struck on the counter-attack when Josh Carson’s long-range strike was awkwardly palmed away by Odumosu.

But the visitors did break the deadlock on 70 minutes when Scott cut in from the left and his low- fizzing shot beat David Odumosu at the near post.

Cliftonville thought they had come up with an equaliser in the closing stages but Gormley’s close-range effort was chalked off for offside and Ballymena claimed a third win of the season over the Solitude outfit.

Baxter's Carrick defeat Crues

Carrick Rangers broke the deadlock against Crusaders in the 11th minute when Nedas Maciulaitis charged into the box with his pass cleared by Lewis Barr, but the forward was able to regain possession, his second delivery headed home by Emmett McGuckin at the back post.

The home side doubled their lead just three minutes later when Heatley was played through on goal after McGuckin headed on Ross Glendinning’s goal-kick with the former Crusaders stalwart firing past Jonny Tuffey, who had come off his line to try and clear the danger.

Baxter’s outfit had a string of chances to extend their advantage against his old club with Maciulaitis firing off target when left one-on-one and Heatley sending his strike a whisker wide.

However it was 3-0 on the hour mark when McGuckin's header from a Kyle Cherry free-kick was punched away by stopper Tuffey, but only as far as the edge of the box where Heatley’s first time finish doubled the attacking midfielder’s tally for the afternoon.

The result means that Carrick move up to 10th position with Crusaders dropping to eighth.

Ports' late show earns win over Glens

Having failed to win at the Oval in 11 years and 12 attempts, Portadown looked like a team on a mission in the opening 45 minutes.

The first real chance fell to Portadown’s Josh Ukek on 16 minutes, who having received a pass from Eamon Fyfe struck a right-footed effort on goal from the left side of the box, but Daniel Gyollai got down well to make the save.

Minutes later Baris Altintop knocked his back-post header back across goal and the ball appeared destined to be knocked home by a Ports attacker but Gyollai was on hand once more to intervene with a fantastic fingertip save.

Fyfe then hit the upright with a header from two yards from a Ryan Mayse cross, before the Glens almost grabbed the opener at the other end on the stroke of half-time.

A defensive mix-up saw a long Glens' clearance headed towards the Ports' goal and chasing onto it was Jay Donnelly.

The striker poked the ball past Aaron McCarey in goal but Altintop was on hand to clear off the line.

Just as it looked like we were set for a goalless affair, former Glens man McCartan made a run into the box and appeared to be clipped from behind by Fuad Sule, with the referee pointing to the spot.

McCartan dusted himself down before sending Gyollai the wrong way and tucking the ball into the bottom-right hand corner.

As Glentoran pushed in injury time for an equaliser, Portadown made sure of the win when substitute Ben Wylie charged down the left before cutting the ball across the six-yard box where Mayse tapped home as Portadown claimed a first win at the Oval in 11 years.

Coleraine too strong for Loughgall

Two goals from Matthew Shevlin plus one each from Jamie McGonigle and Rhyss Campbell eased Coleraine to a comfortable 4-0 win over Loughgall at Lakeview Park.

The in-form Shevlin opened the scoring in the fifth minute before two goals in quick succession before the break from fellow frontmen McGonigle and Campbell had the visitors in a commanding position at half-time.

Shevlin, with eight goals in his last five games, scored a fourth on the hour to secure just a third away league win in 19 for the Bannsiders.

Coleraine wasted no time in hitting the front, leading goalscorer Shevlin on target with his 11th league goal of the season after just five minutes.

Campbell made ground down the right wing before whipping over a cross which Shevlin headed home emphatically from six yards out.

The Bannsiders continued to create chances but had to wait until the 39th minute to double their lead.

McGonigle did brilliantly to time his run to beat the offside trap and when he was released by Jamie Glackin had the calmness to race clear and slip the ball low past the onrushing Nathan Gartside.

There was still time for a third just minutes later as McGonigle this time turned provider, crossing for Campbell to get in front of his maker to slot home from close range.

And it was four 15 minutes after the restart as Shevlin bundled home a Glackin corner almost on the goal line at the far post for his second of the afternoon and his eighth goal in his last five games.

The win sees Coleraine climb to fifth while Loughgall, who were restricted to a few long range efforts, remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Swifts win to end losing streak

At Stangmore, the Swifts drew first blood in the 14th minute when Gael Bigirimana's cross from the right caused chaos in the six-yard box.

As Andy Mitchell threatened, Glenavon's Barney McKeown inadvertently touched the ball past his own goalkeeper, Gareth Deane, gifting the home side the lead.

Rodney McAree's men doubled their lead after the hour mark with a goal of exquisite quality.

Thomas Maguire's perfectly weighted chipped pass found Kealan Dillon, who rounded Deane to slot home his fourth league goal of the season, effectively sealing the win for the home side.

Dungannon were well worth the three points and had dominated proceedings throughout, with Maguire narrowly missing the far post after a driving run past Len O'Sullivan in the 28th minute. The woodwork then denied the Swifts just before half-time, as Mitchell's header from James Knowles' cross rattled the crossbar.

The Lurgan Blues' best opportunity came in the 34th minute when Michael O'Connor's powerful long-range effort forced a fine save from Declan Dunne. However, the visitors' attacking threats were few and far between.

This result further compounds Glenavon's recent struggles, with Stephen McDonnell's charges having won just once in their last 10 league outings.