NIFL Premiership

Linfield 2–1 Cliftonville 

QUICKFIRE goals from Kyle McClean and Matthew Fitzpatrick ensured that leaders Linfield came from a goal down to defeat Cliftonville 2-1 at Windsor Park on Saturday evening. 

The Blues were largely on top in the first half but failed to take advantage with Chris Shields seeing his first-half penalty saved by David Odumosu in the Cliftonville goal. 

Instead, it was Cliftonville who hit the front through a stunning Joe Gormley goal with a quarter of an hour remaining, but McClean’s equaliser was quickly followed by a Fitzpatrick winner that saw Linfield retain their healthy lead at the summit. 

Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton felt his side was second best in the opening half and despite acknowledging there was improvement, lamented their collapse. 

“I thought that we were really poor in the first half - we didn’t play,” he admitted.

“We didn’t have the strength of our own convictions, which was really, really disappointing. 

“We needed half-time to come. We settled them down and actually made a game of it second half. 

“When we actually strung more than two passes together, we created a wonderful opportunity and Joe does he does best with a decent finish. 

“At 1-0, you’re hoping that settles us down. I thought we looked nervy, Linfield were very good in terms of pressing and asking questions of us and we didn’t have enough bravery with the ball - that was disappointing. 

“We had that little period where I thought we could actually play and express ourselves and their equaliser kills us, they’ve momentum and we were all over the place for the second goal. 

“Two really, really poor goals in terms of how we set up in our structure and we didn’t do enough. Linfield were deserved winners.”

Magilton was able to call up the experience of Joe Gormley and Rory Hale after missing last weekend’s win over Loughgall, and Axel Piesold also returned to the starting XI. 

Linfield largely dominated the opening half, first threatening after a quarter of an hour through a Euan East cross that Luke Conlon diverted behind for a corner. A second set-piece materialised but Cliftonville cleared their lines at the third time of asking. 

A few minutes later; Kyle McClean had acres of space to run into and he let fly with a shot from distance that David Odumosu pushed over the bar for a corner. 

The set-piece was worked short and Joel Cooper clipped a cross that Euan East glanced over the bar. 

McClean was inches away with a curling effort on the half-hour mark and the Blues’ best chance to hit the front came in the 38th minute after Axel Piesold was adjudged to have brought down Joel Cooper and referee Ian McNabb pointed to the spot. 

Skipper Chris Shields seized responsibility, but David Odumosu guessed correctly and diverted his kick behind for a corner. 

Matt Fitzpatrick was unable to turn in at the back post with the final attempt of the half as the sides went in scoreless at the interval. 

Early in the second half, Joel Cooper weaved his way into a shooting position but saw his shot blocked by Conor Pepper. 

A medical emergency in the crowd brought proceedings to a halt and it took until the 75th minute for the next opportunity to come through substitute Chris McKee’s shot from the edge of the area that drifted wide. 

The deadlock was broken 60 seconds later as Cliftonville hit the front. Rory Hale’s cross into the box was cleared by Euan East, only as far as Pepper who picked out Pettifer and his cross was magnificently hooked home by Joe Gormley. 

Kyle McClean levels
2Gallery

Kyle McClean levels

The lead would only last a mere five minutes as Linfield hit back through Kyle McClean. 

McClean latched onto a brilliant through ball from Joel Cooper and fired beneath the onrushing Odumosu to make it 1-1. 

Linfield then completed a quickfire comeback and led within 60 seconds as McKee robbed Pepper in midfield and picked out Fitzpatrick on the edge of the area for the striker to lash low past Odumosu and make it 2-1. 

The Reds were unable to recover in the closing stages as they dropped into the bottom half of the table. 

LINFIELD: Walsh, Roscoe-Byrne, East (Archer 99’), Shields, McClean, Cooper, Allen (McKee 72’), Ballantyne (McCullough 99’), McGee, Fitzpatrick, Orr. 

CLIFTONVILLE: Odumosu, Kearney, Keaney, Addis, Conlon, Glynn (McGuinness 70’), Pepper, Piesold (Pettifer 70’), Hale, Curran (Ojo 81’), Gormley (Corrigan 99’). 

REFEREE: Ian McNabb