League Report: Shamrock Rovers 0 - 3 St Patrick's Athletic

Rory Merriman reports from Tallaght Stadium

Buoyed with confidence from three consecutive league wins, the Saints secured their third away victory of the season with a 3-0 masterclass by Jake Mulraney over Shamrock Rovers.

St Patrick's Athletic struck first blood just 42 seconds into the Dublin derby when Saints captain Joe Redmond found the net with his second goal of the league campaign, getting on the end of a Jake Mulraney corner. Mulraney went on to score the remaining two goals in the 3-0 victory.

At 1-0 inside 60 seconds, momentum favoured the visitors, as Stephen Kenny's 4-3-2-1 formation appeared to unsettle Shamrock Rovers' defence, with sloppy play leading to a second goal in the 11th minute.

A miscommunicated headed clearance from Neil Farrugia allowed the ball to fall perfectly for a well-positioned Mulraney, who made no mistake, placing it effortlessly into the far right corner.

It was the visiting patrons in the East Stand who made the most noise this evening, while the North, South, and West Stands watched on quietly, a mix of disappointment and bemusement as Shamrock Rovers failed to spark their home crowd.

Efforts from Graeme Burke, denied by a sliding Tom Grivosti tackle at the last moment, followed by a long-range knuckleball punched over the crossbar by Joseph Anang, were the closest opportunities for the home fans to get excited about. A poor first-half performance from the Hoops saw the Dublin 8 visitors head into the break with a two-goal cushion.

Defending stoutly, St Pat's well-disciplined press kept Rovers goalless in the second half, despite Graham Burke's tireless attempts to test the Inchicore defence.

Flourishing under Stephen Kenny's management, Jake Mulraney added a third, dribbling through the home defence, cutting in from the right, and calmly placing it past an outstretched Leon Pohls, adding another to his tally for the night.

Despite maintaining the lion's share of possession, Stephen Bradley's men couldn't break through the red and white defence.

A headed set-piece effort from Daniel Cleary and a powerful strike from talisman Burke were insufficient for the Hoops, as the game finished 3-0 to the Dublin 8 outfit. This result further dampened Shamrock Rovers' hopes of a fifth consecutive league title, while setting St Pat's up for a European spot as we approach the end of the league campaign.

Shamrock Rovers: Leon Pohls; Josh Honohan (Daragh Burns; 9) ; Pico Lopez (C); Lee Grace; Daniel Cleary; Gary O’Neill(Richie Towell; 72); Dylan Watts (Markus Poom; 72); Graham Burke (Sean Kavanagh;87); Neil Farrugia; Daniel Mandroiu (Aaron Greene; 72); Marc McNulty

Subs: Lee Steacy; Aaron Greene; Sean Kavanagh; Darragh Nugent; Richie Towell; Markus Poom; Daragh Burns; Johnny Kenny; Jack Byrne

Subs not used: Lee Steacy; Jack Byrne

Booked: Graham Burke

St Patrick’s Athletic: Joseph Anang; Anthony Breslin (Al-Amin Kazeem; 85); Joe Redmond (C); Tom Grivosti; Jamie Lennon; Chris Forrester; Mason Melia (Aidan Keena 78); Brandon Kavanagh (Kian Leavy; 72); Jake Mulraney (Jason McClelland; 85); Axel Sjöberg; Zachary Elbouzedi (Luke Turner; 85)

Subs: Danny Rogers; Luke Turner; Al-Amin Kazeem; Ryan McLaughlin; Kian Leavy; Aaron Bolger; Jason McClelland; Aidan Keena; Michael Noonan

Subs not used: Danny Rogers; Ryan McLaughlin; Aaron Bolger; Michael Noonan

Booked: Tom Grivosti

Extratime Man of the match: Jake Mulraney