Blues win to move 15 clear as Oval game abandoned

Linfield defeated Portadown 3-1 on Saturday in a hat-trick, lifting the Blues 15 points clear of the Irish Premiership.

In the opening 26 minutes of the match, Cooper scored three goals for the hosts at Shamrock Park, with Tabu Rabby Minzamba bringing one back in the second half.

The leaders have now lost seven games in the league, but they have only managed six games where they have won all six games without conceding a goal.

In the second half, Glentoran were denied the chance to surpass Dungannon Swifts and move up to second because their meeting with Larne at the Oval was postponed due to a malfunctioning floodlight, which ended up being 0-0.

On Tuesday night, the teams will compete in the Seaview County Antrim Shield final.

In another game, the Crusaders won 2-0 over Coleraine, while Jonny Addis and Stephen McGuinness scored for Cliftonville to put an end to their four straight top-flight woes.

Linfield had a two-goal lead at the break when a quick Cooper double in the opening six minutes put the forward past Aaron McCarey with his left foot at a sharp angle before scoring his second goal with his right foot following some diligent work from Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Cooper’s hat-trick came in the middle of the first half when Portadown captain Gary Thompson gave him the ball before finding the net with a cool left-foot finish from a central position.

Minzamba, who had Baris Altintop’s strike struck him after the hour mark, made a late save.

Crusaders ended a three-game losing streak with a hard-earned triumph at Coleraine, their third league success over the Bannsiders this season.

After the half-hour, Blaney gave the visitors the lead before Harry Jewitt-White, a second-half substitute, put a breakaway goal just in time to seal the victory.

Before Crusaders broke the deadlock, the home side had a ton of chances in the opening period.

Matthew Shevlin struggled to convert when Rhyss Campbell fired wide from a good position, and Connor Murray was denied by a good save from Jonathan Tuffey when he was partnering with the Crusaders’ keeper.

When the visitors had their only chance of winning the half, they were forced to pay for their dereliction.

Blaney outsprinted the home defense in a free-kick to the back post after Rory Brown, who had been injured in a challenge with Harry Franklin, was unable to nod past replacement keeper Max Little.

After the restart, the game continued in a similar pattern, with Johnny Tuffey diving low to deny Dean Jarvis while Murray’s curling effort sailed off the crossbar.

The impressive Tuffey, who had just finished the second half, saved sub Corey Smith before immediately crashing a right foot shot against the post with the keeper knocked out by the impressive keeper.

The east Belfast stadium’s floodlights went out prematurely in the 54th minute, which caused the game at the Oval to end.

Kodi Lyons-Foster couldn’t get the ball home from close range, but Danny Amos gave the Glens their first chance of the game with a curling free-kick that Danny Amos had to send into the box.

Joe Thomson’s effort was then denied by a crucial tackle from right-back Jonny Russell after a Glentoran error in midfield had given Conor McKendry time and space to play the ball back for the onrushing Thomson.

James Singleton fired home a clever pass from Jay Donnelly from the edge of the box, but the linesman’s flag swung up as the midfielder was offside, giving the home side two huge chances in the second half.

Seconds later, Singleton had another chance, but he was unable to keep his strike off the crossbar from a Russell cross.

At Solitude, Cliftonville captain Addis edged the home side in front with a towering 51st-minute header, soaring highly to meet Arran Pettifer’s perfectly weighted free-kick and power home the breakthrough goal.

When McGuinness showed predatory instincts in stoppage time, reacting quickest to Pettifer’s blocked effort to force a composed finish into the bottom corner, the hosts’ victory was sealed in dramatic fashion.

The Reds created the clearer opportunities during a cagey opening period, which both sides saw promise. Before James Carroll’s heroics prevented Pettifer from turning in Ryan Markey’s inviting delivery, Michael Glynn almost broke the deadlock with a sublime half-volley that whistled agonisingly over.

As the interval approached, The Villagers found their rhythm, and Carroll’s clever play, McCloskey’s clever play, which caused his close-range effort to rattle the woodwork, converting from savior to threat. Nathaniel Ferris’ men looked on David Odumosu’s parry, but minutes later the assistant referee’s flag brought the celebrations to a halt as Dean Smith’s men thought they had won.

At Taylor’s Avenue, Carrick and Ballymena slugged out a forgettable scoreless draw.

Paul Heatley saved Sean O’Neill’s shot from an acute angle in a largely unbalanced first half, with the second being a smart stop from the former Crusaders forward.

Ballymena’s best chance came in first-half stoppage time when Alex Gawne’s swerving effort was well tipped over by Carrick keeper Ross Glendinning.