Limerick 0-30 Kilkenny 2-15: Awesome Treaty County secure hurling four in a row

Magnificent Limerick won a fourth straight All-Ireland Hurling title as they came from six down in the first half to beat Kilkenny 0-30 to 2-15.

Eoin Cody's goal helped Kilkenny lead by six after 28 minutes but the margin was trimmed to three by half-time.

And while a Paddy Deegan goal put the Cats 2-10 to 0-11 ahead, Limerick utterly dominated the rest of the game.

Peter Casey hit five points from play in the second half with the sensational Diarmaid Byrnes finishing on 0-8.

• Four-in-a-row Limerick blow Kilkenny away - as it happened

Seven of Byrnes' scores from frees but his all-round efforts in the half-back line exemplified Limerick's display with captain Cian Lynch and Kyle Hayes among a host of other outstanding performers for John Kiely's side.

As was the case during their semi-final win over Galway, Limerick were presented with a huge challenge by Kilkenny in the first half and remained unruffled despite Deegan's 42nd-minute goal as they remarkably outscored the Cats 0-19 to 0-5 during the remaining 32 minutes of action.

Limerick's four in a row matches the feat of the Cork side of the early 1940s and Kilkenny's achievement in the late noughties but given the Shannonsiders' domination of the current era and having won five of the last six All-Ireland titles, their claims to being the greatest team in history now look irrefutable.

Diarmaid Byrnes produced a sensational performance for Limerick which included hitting 0-8

After not having added to their record 36 titles since 2015, Kilkenny's hunger was evident early on as corner-forward Cody's running caused the champions difficulties.

Cody lashed to the net in the 10th minute after good work by Tom Phelan to put the Cats 1-1 to 0-2 and two cracking scores from Phelan then increased their advantage to 1-3 to 0-3.

With Huw Lawlor winning his battle with Limerick's dangerman Aaron Gillane at that stage, things were going to plan for Kilkenny and a huge free from keeper Eoin Murphy extended their advantage to four.

A Byrnes free and a Gillane effort from play reduced the margin to two by the 19th minute but the Reid brothers TJ and Richie then combined to fire four straight Kilkenny scores as they moved six up by the 28th minute.

However Limerick responded by hitting four of the remaining five first-half scores to leave just a puck of the ball between the sides at the break as Lynch, David Reidy and Tom Morrissey all pointed from play.

Limerick blow away Cats in the second half

By the 40th minute, Kilkenny's lead was down to the minimum following two Byrnes frees before the Cats appeared to have stemmed the tide as Phelan notched his third point before Deegan lashed in a goal that went through the net after Richie Reid had picked out Phelan with a perfectly-weighted pass.

But that was as good as it got for Kilkenny as Limerick simply blew them away during the remainder of the contest with wing-back Byrnes' prodigious work summing up their domination in the middle third of the field.

After a run of five scores started by Casey's first point, Limerick were on terms within five minutes before Reid put Kilkenny ahead for the last time in the 49th minute.

Byrnes levelled within a minute from a long-range free and four more unanswered points accumulated over the next three minutes including scores from play from the hitherto subdued Darragh O'Donovan and Byrnes.

Kilkenny's final dying kicks saw them twice reduce Limerick's lead to two just before the hour mark but Casey's late spree, as he fired four more sensational points, helped the Treaty County notch eight of the game's remaining nine scores as they ran out comprehensive winners.

Limerick: N Quaid; M Casey, D Morrissey, B Nash (0-1); D Byrnes (0-8), W O'Donoghue, K Hayes (0-1); D O'Donovan (0-1), C Lynch (0-2) (capt); G Hegarty (0-2), D Reidy (0-2), T Morrissey (0-1); A Gillane (0-5), S Flanagan, P Casey (0-5).

Subs: C Boylan for Hegarty 68, A Costello for M Casey 73, G Mulcahy for S Flanagan 61, B Murphy for O'Donovan 71, C O'Neill (0-2) for T Morrisey 55.

Kilkenny: E Murphy (0-1); M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; W Walsh, R Reid (0-1), P Deegan (1-1); C Fogarty, A Mullen (0-1); T Phelan (0-3), M Keoghan, J Donnelly (0-1); B Ryan, TJ Reid (0-7), E Cody (1-0 (capt).

Subs: C Buckley for T Walsh 64, P Walsh for C Fogarty HT, A Murphy for W Walter 48, C Kenny for B Ryan 54, R Hogan for C Buckley 65 bs, C Buckley for J Donnelly 69.

Referee: J Keenan (Wicklow)