Reds are Ryan high!
Linfield 1-2 Cliftonville
Ryans Curran and Corrigan emerged from the bench to help Cliftonville battle from behind to beat Linfield in a pulsating Sports Direct Premiership showdown at Windsor Park.
Despite controlling the game from the first whistle, the Reds found themselves undeservedly trailing when Matthew Fitzpatrick broke the deadlock from a 16th minute corner.
Cliftonville continued to dominate the ball but could have fallen further behind only for a marvellous double save from David Odumosu to keep the Blues at bay ahead of the late turnaround.
First Curran nodded home from fellow sub Ruaidhri Donnelly’s assist 10 minutes from time and then Corrigan was perfectly placed to net when Ronan Doherty’s corner delivery caused chaos in the home penalty area, ensuring a fully merited victory for Jim Magilton’s dominant side.
The Reds first threatened when Joe Gormley bade to work some space for himself only to see his attempt deflected behind by Chris Shields and, from the five corner kicks the visitors forced in quick succession, Conor Pepper saw one shot deflected wide before home keeper Chris Johns prevented Scot Whiteside from scoring an own goal.
From Linfield’s first attack, the deadlock was broken. Cliftonville disputed the award of a corner but, when Kirk Millar sent it in, the ball eventually fell for Fitzpatrick to lash home.
Johns’ low save at his near post stopped Gormley bagging a left footed leveller and, after Arran Pettifer had seen a long range attempt fielded by the keeper and Pepper was again unable to take advantage from a favourable position, Taylor Steven was off target with a strike from a testing angle.
The half-time break did not hamper the Reds’ momentum and Gormley came close to equalising when a cross-shot beat Johns only to be headed off the line by Shields and – almost unfathomably – it was again Pepper to whom the ball fell, but his shot was charged down in a crowded penalty area.
From a rare foray forward, Linfield almost killed the game off; Joel Cooper teeing Millar up for a cross which Fitzpatrick attacked at the far post and, though Odumosu repelled that attempt, the Blues striker showed smart reactions to touch the rebound goalward, only for Odumosu to again claw it out.
At the other end, Gormley went close with an acrobatic effort before the leveller finally came when Steven’s cross was kept alive by Donnelly, whose header across the face of goal was given the touch it needed by Curran – but Cliftonville weren’t done there and poured forward in search of a winner which eventually came when Doherty’s corner was spilled by Johns and Corrigan reacted quickest to find the net and bank the points.
Cliftonville: Odumosu, Pepper (Curran, 77 mins), Addis, Newberry, Pettifer (Corrigan, 68 mins), Kearney, Hale, Doherty, Gormley (Donnelly, 77 mins), Glynn, Steven (Conlan, 90 mins). Unused subs: Ridd, Piesold, Markey.