Ryan O'Toole drilled home a sensational winning goal deep into stoppage time to give Monaghan victory in a gripping Ulster SFC quarter-final at O’Neills Healy Park.
Darren McCurry had just given Tyrone the lead with his fifth score when O’Toole arrived on the shoulder of Kieran Duffy, and when a fisted point to tie the game looked the sensible option, he displayed courage and confidence as he fired his shot past Niall Morgan to set up a semi-final date with Derry.
The Red Hands started brightly with neat scores from Darren McCurry and Darragh Canavan, who edged his side into a two points lead after wing back Ryan O’Toole had nailed the Farney opener.
Mattie Donnelly had just edged Tyrone into a two points lead when they struck for a goal on ten minutes, Canavan arriving at pace to receive McCurry’s lay-off and smash his shot past Rory Beggan.
Goalkeepers Beggan and Niall Morgan, both expert exponents of the kick-out, kept their respective sides on the offensive with hugely effective restarts, with Monaghan getting a couple of scores off Beggan’s accurate distribution off the tee.
One of those was a trademark Conor McManus effort, the veteran attacker sweeping over a gem from close to the sideline
McManus hit six of his side’s eight first half scores, the remainder from frees, and was the only Monaghan attacker to score from play before the break.
Ryan O'Toole wins a thrilling Ulster football game with an injury-time goal for Monaghan against Tyrone
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 16, 2023
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Frank Burns, Michael McKernan and Mickey O’Neill closed down the Farney men as they built from deep, and it was the pace of the Red Hands on the break that made the difference, with Conor Meyler pressing forward to pick off a couple of points, and the experienced Mattie Donnelly displaying immense energy to help with the defensive effort and contribute a couple of scores as well.
Tyrone led by 1-10 to 0-07 at the break, but with wind advantage in the second half, Monaghan set about closing out the gap, hitting early scores through full back Kieran Duffy and a Jack McCarron free.
A quickly taken free sent McManus away with a goal chance, but 'keeper Morgan was quickly off his line to make the save, but the Farney men kept coming, with Micheal Bannigan’s spectacular effort reducing the deficit to two.
It took Tyrone 16 minutes to register their opening score of the second half, Donnelly fisting over his third from Peter Harte’s assist, a much-needed response to Monaghan’s four on the spin.
Tyrone were still clinging on to their slender two points advantage going into the final quarter as Conor McCarthy and Conn Kilpatrick traded points, but a brilliant Stephen O’Hanlon goal gave Monaghan the lead for the first time in the 57th minute as he cut inside to give Morgan no chance with a fiercely struck angled finish.
Exquisite pass from Rory Beggan, great diagonal delivery to find Stephen O'Hanlon. He beats the defenders and finds the corner of the net. Monaghan have turned it around.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 16, 2023
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Shane Carey stretched the advantage to two, but Canavan, with his first score of the second half, brought the sides level with seven minutes to play.
But Monaghan, building from terrific defensive work from Kieran Duffy, Conor Boyle and Karl O’Connell, swept forward again, Conor McCarthy wining the free from which they regained the lead through McManus with five minutes remaining.
However in a pulsating finish, McCurry hit a couple of scores to regain the lead for Tyrone, only for in the sixth minute of stoppage time, O’Toole’s spirit of adventure paid off handsomely when he fired home the golden goal.
Tyrone: Niall Morgan (0-01 '45); Michael McKernan, Ronan McNamee, Padraig Hampsey; Conor Meyler (0-02), Peter Harte, Cormac Quinn; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick (0-01); Frank Burns, Michael O'Neill, Kieran McGeary; Darren McCurry (0-05, 3f), Matthew Donnelly (0-03), Darragh Canavan (1-05, 0-01f). Subs: Joe Oguz for O’Neill (46); Niall Sludden (0-01) for McGeary (61); Ruairi Canavan for Donnelly (62); Michael McGleenan for Burns (66).
Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Thomas McPhillips, Kieran Duffy (0-01), Ryan Wylie; Conor Boyle, Karl O'Connell, Ryan O’Toole (1-01); Darren Hughes, Killian Lavelle; Stephen O’Hanlon (1-00), Michael Bannigan (0-01), Conor McCarthy (0-02); Jack McCarron (0-02f), Karl Gallagher, Conor McManus (0-09, 8f). Subs: Shane Carey (0-01) for McPhillips (34); Kieran Hughes for Darren Hughes; Sean Jones for McCarron (54); Dessie Ward for O’Connell (77); Fintan Kelly for O’Toole (77).
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
