Ten-man Larne Lose as Glens Win to Narrow Gap at Top
Larne remain top of the Irish Premiership table despite suffering a 4-1 defeat, but their lead has been reduced to three points.
Irish Premiership leaders Larne's aspirations for a third title in four years faced a setback as they were defeated 4-1 by Coleraine at Inver Park.
Coleraine secured an emphatic victory with two goals from Matthew Shevlin, a header from Ben Wylie, and a penalty from Will Patching, capitalizing after Dan Bent was sent off for Larne.
Glentoran took advantage of Larne's defeat by narrowing the gap at the top to three points with a 2-1 victory over Cliftonville at Solitude.
In the relegation battle, Lloyd Anderson scored a 94th-minute equalizer to earn a 1-1 draw for bottom-placed Crusaders against Bangor at Seaview, while Glenavon also drew 1-1 with Ballymena United at the Showgrounds.
Linfield came from behind to defeat Dungannon Swifts 3-1 at Stangmore Park, and Portadown and Carrick Rangers shared a 1-1 draw at Shamrock Park.
Clinical Bannsiders See Off Larne
Coleraine took the lead within two minutes through Shevlin’s 15th league goal of the season. Midfielder Mark Coyle played a through ball behind Larne’s defense, allowing Shevlin to outrun Matthew Ridley, round goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson, and score into an empty net.
Shevlin missed a chance to double the lead shortly after, denied by Ferguson’s save, while at the other end, Ryan Schofield saved a shot from Andy Ryan following a setup by Sean Graham.
Both goalkeepers continued to perform well, with Ferguson blocking a low shot from Zane Okoro and Schofield saving a volley from Ronan Doherty.
Larne’s situation worsened when Dan Bent was sent off in the 35th minute for a challenge on Shevlin, reducing Larne to ten men.
Despite this, Larne regrouped and equalized just before halftime when Ryan converted his sixth penalty of the season after Dylan Boyle handled the ball in the penalty area.
Shortly after the restart, Ferguson saved a goal-bound header from Shevlin by deflecting it onto the post.
However, Coleraine regained the lead just before the hour mark when Wylie headed in a Levi Ives cross from close range.
With 20 minutes remaining, Patching scored his ninth goal of the season from the penalty spot after Tomas Cosgrove was penalized for handling inside the area.
Shevlin completed the scoring seven minutes from time by finishing from 12 yards following a defensive lapse by Larne.
Glens Stay in Title Hunt with Hard-Fought Win
Cliftonville started strongly, with Ryan Curran narrowly missing a shot early on. Brian Healy also fired wide in the 36th minute.
Within a minute, Glentoran took the lead as Jordan Stewart capitalized on a pass from Josh Daniels, shooting low past PJ Morrison into the far corner.
Three minutes before halftime, Pat Hoban doubled Glentoran’s lead with a header, marking his fifth goal in three games against Cliftonville.
On 62 minutes, Joe Gormley came off the bench to reduce the deficit for Cliftonville.
Glentoran were twice denied by the woodwork late in the match, with James Singleton and Hoban narrowly missing a third goal.
Cliftonville pressed in the closing stages, with Shaun Leppard’s header going wide, but Glentoran held on for a crucial victory.
Blues Battle Back to Beat Swifts
Dungannon Swifts dominated much of the first half, but Linfield took the lead in the 36th minute when Cathal McGinty scored from close range after a cross from Adam Glenny.
Minutes later, Linfield were awarded a penalty after Dane McCullough was fouled, and Kyle McClean converted it to equalize.
Linfield took the lead on the hour mark through Darragh Leahy, who scored his first goal since signing in January.
Ten minutes later, McClean scored his second goal of the evening, finishing from inside the box after a pass from McCullough.
Late in the game, Robbie McDaid scored for Linfield, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Carrick Move Closer to Seventh and Play-Off Place
Portadown took an early lead within five minutes when Adam Towe scored after James Teelan’s shot was deflected into his path.
Portadown missed a chance to extend their lead when Teelan was denied by goalkeeper Gartside and Towe missed the rebound.
Carrick Rangers appeared unable to capitalize until the final 10 minutes when Niall Devlin was awarded a penalty after a collision between Eamon Fyfe and Aidan Steele in the box following a long throw from Michael Place.
Danny Gibson converted the penalty to secure a point for Carrick, effectively securing seventh place and a European playoff spot.
Spoils Shared at the Showgrounds
The match between Glenavon and Ballymena United began quietly, with Glenavon’s Stephen O'Donnell missing a header inside the six-yard box.
Ballymena took the lead shortly after the half-hour mark when Success Edogun intercepted a pass and set up Igor Rutkowski, who failed to shoot, but the ball returned to Edogun who scored low under Glenavon goalkeeper Jacob Carney.
Glenavon finished the first half strongly, with Paul McGovern’s shot saved and John Mountney hitting the crossbar from a corner.
Glenavon equalized two minutes into the second half when Conor Falls scored a left-footed strike from outside the penalty area.
Ballymena nearly regained the lead immediately, but Edogun’s shot clipped the post.
Neither team scored again, and the 1-1 draw keeps Glenavon off the bottom spot on goal difference.
Anderson Rescues Late Point for Crusaders
Crusaders withstood early pressure from Bangor and came close when Fraser Bryden’s half-volley was saved by Gareth Deane.
Josh Williamson also narrowly missed with a curling effort from distance.
Bangor threatened when Stephen Fallon set up Iestyn Hughes, who shot wide instead of passing to Ben Cushnie.
Bangor took the lead when Cushnie scored after Evan Easton lost possession to substitute Oisin Devlin, allowing a breakaway.
Crusaders almost equalized before the hour with Jordan Forsythe’s free-kick saved by Deane.
In injury time, Crusaders pushed forward and after a clearance off the line, substitute Lloyd Anderson scored from close range to secure a vital point in their relegation fight.
