FOOTBALL: Blues move clear at top with win over Coleraine

The Blues are now one point clear and have a game in hand on nearest challengers Cliftonville - beaten at Ballymena.

It was little more than David Jeffrey's side deserved as they by far created the better chances in front of a bumper crowd at the Ballycastle Road venue.

Second half strikes from Phillip Lowry, Jamie Mulgrew and Peter Thompson were enough to seal Linfield's third win on the bounce.

Coleraine boss David Platt, who is in England completing part of his Pro-Licence, was probably glad he missed his side's disappointing showing as they failed to call Blues keeper Alan Blayney into action with Stephen Dooley's strike providing his only real piece of action all night.

At the other end of the field Davy O'Hare, who was making his 500th appearance for the Bannsiders, was called into action early on as the visitors had the better of the exchanges in the first half.

Their first goalscoring opportunity came on four minutes thanks to a neat piece of skill by Curtis Allen. He controlled Garrett's through ball in the penalty area before dinking it over Mukendi's head, but his shot from the angle was never going to trouble O'Hare.

The former Distillery man went closer on 15 minutes as he curled a free kick just past the post on 15 minutes.

A minute later a long punt forward out of the Blues defence caught McVey on the hop, Thompson nipped in, but his first touch took the ball away from him. The striker recaptured possession though and only a great block from Howard Beverland prevented the on-loan frontman from breaking the deadlock.

Thompson went close again on 18 minutes as Curran whipped a great ball into the box, but the striker couldn't get any purchase on his header and O'Hare easily gathered.

Coleraine's first real opening arrived on 21 minutes and typically it came from Rory Patterson. His snapshot from the edge of the box after Tommy McCallion's neat lay off just grazed the Linfield crossbar.

The league's top marksman should have done better on 37 minutes after Carson's clever through ball, but the striker rushed his shot under pressure and uncharacteristically dragged it well wide.

Linfield almost opened the scoring four minutes before the break after Allen had been upended on the edge of the box by Mukendi. Robert Garrett stepped up and crashed a vicious shot off the inside of the post with O'Hare beaten.

Garrett turned creator three minutes after the restart as his cross from the right-hand side picked out Allen, but the striker directed his header past the post.

Garrett tried his luck from distance again on 61 minutes after Coleraine had failed to clear their lines, but this time the midfielder's effort failed to trouble the Bannsiders' goal.

Two minutes later the deadlock was broken in somewhat controversial circumstances as Patterson seemed to have been fouled by Douglas in the build up.

Play continued with Douglas picking the ball up again just inside the box before crashing a shot off the upright.

Phillip Lowry though was on hand to fire the ball past O'Hare from eight yards.

The game finally sprung into life with 10 minutes to go as Billy Jo Burns surged forward after winning possession just inside the Coleraine half and unleashed a powerful shot, which O'Hare did well to tip over.

The Bannsiders responded as full back Gareth Harkin weaved his way through the Linfield rearguard before threading a pin-point pass to Stephen Dooley. The 18-year-old steadied himself before lashing a left foot shot past Blayney from 15-yards to level things up.

But within two minutes Linfield had restored their lead as Jamie Mulgrew hooked a fabulous volley past O'Hare from right on the edge of the box as Coleraine failed to clear the danger.

And in the third minute of stoppage time Peter Thompson scored for the third game in a row as he headed in the rebound after Garrett had struck the woodwork with another excellent free kick.

Coleraine: O'Hare, Beverland, Harkin, McVey, Mukendi, Dooley, Hegarty (Tommons 72), McCallion (Lowry 72), Patterson, Boyce (Gibson 65), Carson.

Subs not used: Tolan, Canning.

Linfield: Blayney, Douglas, Murphy, Curran, Lowry, Thompson, Burns, Allen, Garrett, Mulgrew, Gallagher.

Subs: Gault, Bailie, O'Kane, Ervin, McAllister.

Referee: Brian Turkington.