Allianz Football League: Dublin inflict first defeat on Derry as Cavan draw

Dublin inflicted a first defeat of the season on Mickey Harte's Derry in the Division One game in Celtic Park.

The Dubs deserved their 1-16 to 1-11 victory over the Ulster champions, who had won all four league games.

Derry trailed 0-9 to 1-4 at half-time after Conor McCloskey's goal before Cormac Costello netted for the dominant visitors on 52 minutes.

Cavan moved level on points with Division Two leaders Armagh and Donegal after a 0-11 to 0-11 draw with Meath.

The top-two showdown was billed as the form team in leaders Derry against the All-Ireland champions, who turned in a season's best display last week by hammering Kerry by 10 points.

Yet Harte's decision to rest some key players like Conor Glass, and make seven changes from last week's win over Galway, took some of the sting and significance out of the fixture.

Even so, the game didn't disappoint and Dublin were the better team in the first half, yet only led by 0-9 to 1-4 at the break.

Cormac Costello celebrates scoring Dublin's second-half goal against Derry

Dublin set the early pace, pushing up on Derry's kickouts, and made precious few mistakes in possession with Ross McGarry and Paddy Small scoring from distance.

The Dubs had six different scorers by half time with Ciaran Kilkenny in great form with 0-3 from play.

However, he lost his marker Conor McCloskey, who was moved onto him after Diarmuid Baker had leaked a couple of early scores, and McCloskey drilled home a vital goal for Derry at a stage when they were struggling after 27 minutes.

Derry trailed 0-7 to 0-3 before a quick transition led to Cormac Murphy threading the ball through to McCloskey, who drilled the ball low from distance off his left foot. It was the second home game in a row that he scored a major having also found the net against Monaghan.

Dublin responded well to the setback with points from Brian Fenton and Sean Bugler before Emmet Bradley pointed off his left in the last act of the first half to leave Derry trailing by two at the interval.

Harte made a triple substitution at the start of the second half, bringing on first-team regulars Ethan Doherty, Eoin McEvoy and Padraig McGrogan.

Derry kept in touch in the third quarter but Dublin had the majority of possession and while they didn't always make good use of it, they applied the necessary throttle with Kilkenny and Ross McGarry pointing.

Shane McGuigan's class has long been talked about and he landed 0-4 from play in the second half to keep Derry in touch when Dublin were trying to pull away.

He also almost scored a special goal when David O'Hanlon was caught off his line and his long-range lob was brilliantly flicked away by the Dublin keeper.

The game was finely poised after another fabulous McGuigan point, at 1-7 to 0-12 on 50 minutes, when Dublin landed the killer blow with Costello's goal.

Derry's Emmet Bradley is challenged by Peadar O Cofaigh Byrne at Celtic Park

Niall Scully's fisted effort was cleared off the line by Donncha Gilmore and substitute Costello was there to pounce on the loose ball and drill it low into the net.

From there, Dublin never looked back and the game petered out. It was game management all the way with quick hands, runners off the shoulder and Derry found it impossible to dictate terms in the final quarter.

While Paul Cassidy, McGuigan and Eoin McEvoy landed late points, Dublin saw it through to move onto six points from five games and well placed with two league games remaining.

War of attrition

Cavan and Meath played to a draw in a war of attrition at Breffni Park on Saturday night.

Going into the game, the two teams were hot on the heels of pacesetting pair Armagh and Donegal, but the result will leave both sides disappointed as those two remain in the promotion places ahead of their rearranged match on Sunday.

Cavan were poor in the first half and their sloppiness in possession and lack of ideas in attack left them deservedly trailing by four at the break.

However, they launched a second half comeback with Paddy Lynch finishing with 0-6 while goalkeeper Gary O'Rourke pulled off two superb saves in one on ones as the hosts chipped away at their opponent's lead.

Late on, Lynch put Cavan ahead but the spoils were shared after Sean Brennan landed a long-range free-kick.