Cliftonville Claims 4-2 Victory Over Larne, Dealing a Blow to Title Hopes
Cliftonville dealt a significant blow to Larne’s ambitions of retaining the Irish Premiership title with a 4-2 victory at Solitude. The result leaves Larne reeling after their third defeat in six matches.
The game began brilliantly for Cliftonville as Rory Hale scored two quick goals within the first eight minutes. He first capitalized on a through ball from Joe Sheridan, expertly lobbing Larne goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson just six minutes in. Hale then struck again from outside the box two minutes later, establishing an early lead for the home side.
Despite an attempt by Larne to regain momentum, with Dylan Sloan setting up Matty Lusty, who unfortunately sent his shot wide, Cliftonville continued to create chances. A potential third goal for the Reds nearly materialized when Ben Quinn’s low drive was saved effectively by Ferguson.
The visitors responded with a double substitution at halftime, introducing Leroy Millar and Kevin O’Hara for Ronan Doherty and Paul O’Neill. However, Cliftonville maintained their dominance, as Hale nearly added to the score with a header from a Liam McStravick cross.
In the 61st minute, Shaun Leppard extended Cliftonville’s lead to 3-0, glancing in a corner kick from Dean McMaster and effectively quashing any immediate hopes for Larne.
Yet, Larne’s fight was not extinguished. They narrowed the gap in the 72nd minute when Dan Bent converted a penalty after Lusty was brought down by Cliftonville’s Joel Thompson. Larne pressed on, and shortly after, Lusty lobbed the ball over the advancing Cliftonville goalkeeper to score, making it 3-2 and setting the stage for a tense final ten minutes.
As Larne pushed for an equalizer, they were met with a decisive counterattack from Cliftonville. In the closing seconds, substitute Rhyss Campbell capitalized on a pass from Joe Gormley to score the fourth goal for Cliftonville, sealing the match and securing all three points.
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton praised his team’s tactical execution and resilience, noting the strong individual performances despite some moments of pressure from Larne. “It was a near-perfect performance at 3-0,” he stated, emphasizing the team’s collective effort and fitness.
On the other hand, Larne manager Gary Haveron reflected on the match, admitting the need for assessment and improvement. “We need to look at what we could have done better,” he acknowledged, criticizing his team’s inability to control the game early on and asserting the importance of handling Cliftonville’s attacking threats.
The defeat leaves Larne scrambling to regain their momentum as they look ahead to their next fixtures.
