Cillian O'Connor blasted home four goals as Mayo slaughtered Tipperary to book their place in a fifth All-Ireland final in nine years. 

If Dublin's picking apart of Cavan on Saturday was surgical and a tad bloodless, then Mayo's demolition of Tipperary was frenzied and explosive.

David Power's side entered the game on the back of an emotional Munster title success, and their undoubted footballing pedigree in the forward line, combined with Mayo's unconvincing display in the Connacht final, persuaded some that a surprise could be in the offing.

Tipperary began the game with commendable boldness and should have snaffled at least one goal in the opening stages.

At 0-01 apiece, Lee Keegan dealt poorly with a high-ball into the full-back line, fumbling it helpfully into Michael Quinlivan's path. The Clonmel Commercials attacker bore down on goal, tried to side-step Clarke and side-foot it home but the Mayo keeper was wise to it, palming away the shot. 

Moments later, another warning for Mayo as Quinlivan arrowed a ball into the mixer, Conor Sweeney won the contest with Chris Barrett, swiveled but shot straight at Clarke.

Having survived the couple of early scares, Mayo settled into the game and set about their task. 

The goal-fest kicked off in earnest on nine minutes. Aidan O'Shea stripped Kevin Fahey of the ball in an advanced position, fed the electric Tommy Conroy, who swiftly passed across goal for O'Connor to palm home his first. 

O'Connor palms home the opening goal

The Munster champions shot back immediately, Brian Fox, running hard, somehow burrowed his way through a cluster of Mayo defenders, drop-kicking a slow but cleverly angled shot past Clarke. Diarmuid O'Connor dived to prevent it crossing the line but the ball won the race.

But Mayo were now on the rampage, their turnover machine in the middle and attacking third was just cranking into gear. 

As Power noted afterwards, a whopping 3-06 was rustled up off turnovers in the first half, as Mayo's high-octane pressing game continually trapped Tipp high up the pitch. 

O'Connor, with a couple of frees and two from play, plus scores from Ruane, Durcan and Conroy helped them establish a four-point lead by the first water-break. 

It was the second quarter where the game was really done and dusted, Mayo winning the period 3-06 to 0-03. 

O'Connor slammed home his second goal on 25 minutes, pushing the lead out to an already prohibitive nine. 

Bill Maher spilled a ball in the middle, Eoghan McLaughlin seized on it, drove forward, quick hands from O'Shea saw the ball transferred to O'Connor, who raced past his man to drill another goal into the far corner.

The third goal was a disaster for Tipp. 

With the Mayo attack now pressing mercilessly, cutting off all options, an increasingly panicky Tipperary were forced to scuttle along their full-back line, in search of a pass.

With nothing on, Liam Casey turned and tried a risky back-pass to Comerford, mis-judged it and O'Connor nipped in, slapping the ball home to complete his hat-trick inside the half-hour mark. 

At 3-11 to 1-04, the game was now more or less over but Tipperary's first-half misery wasn't yet. 

On the stroke of half-time, O'Connor's 45 effort dropped short, the defence hesitated, Diarmuid O'Connor raced across from the end-line, palming it ahead of Comerford, sending the ball trickling into the far corner.

Perhaps the only threat to Mayo in the second half was that the dipping fog might force the abandonment of the game but this was never a serious possibility. 

The third quarter saw Mayo stretch the lead some more though frailties continued to show in their full-back line. 

Quinlivan was almost through for another goal but Keegan dragged him down just outside the penalty box. The Tipp players pleaded for a penalty but David Gough could only award the free and flash a black card in Keegan's direction.

Moments later, Eoghan McLaughlin, the author of the last-ditch foul in the Connacht final, committed a similar offence on Bill Maher but only received yellow. 

O'Connor notched his fourth goal on 44 minutes, drifting in behind the Tipperary defence to collect a delightful drilled pass from Kevin McLaughlin, before firing home on the turn. 

While O'Connor's haul of 4-09 (a championship record) will capture most of the headlines, he was ably supported by the brilliant Conroy who stroked over four points, one in each quarter, while Aidan O'Shea's tackling and unselfishness helped create several scores for those around him. 

The gap reached 21 points at his highest point and sat at 20 by the second water-break. 

Tipperary, whose scoring haul in the second and third quarters consisted entirely of Conor Sweeney frees, mounted a late dart for respectability, in the process flagging up issues in the Mayo rearguard. 

Second-half substitute Paudie Feehan picked up the ball on the right wing by the Hogan Stand and headed for goal, the Mayo defence parting for him before he drilled a low shot past Clarke. 

With Mayo's innings pretty much declared, Kevin Fahey, Colin O'Riordan and Sweeney landed fine scores from play before the latter slammed a brilliant goal to the roof of the net. The Munster champions might have had several more but for some jittery finishing.

Tipperary players pay tribute by the Bloody Sunday monument

James Horan was reasonably phlegmatic in the aftermath, acknowledging that Mayo will have to tidy up issues at the back. 

For Tipp, there will be no repeat of the 1920 final but they capped a memorable year by paying tribute to the victims of Bloody Sunday by the Hill 16 monument. 

Mayo: David Clarke; Oisín Mullin, Chris Barrett, Lee Keegan; Patrick Durcan (0-01), Stephen Coen, Eoghan McLaughlin; Conor Loftus (0-01), Matthew Ruane (0-01); Kevin McLoughlin (0-01), Ryan O'Donoghue, Diarmuid O'Connor (1-00); Tommy Conroy (0-04, 1m), Aidan O'Shea (0-01), Cillian O'Connor (4-09, 0-05f).

Subs: Jordan Flynn for Diarmuid O'Connor (42), Padraig O'Hora for Barrett (47), Michael Plunkett for Eoghan McLaughlin (52), Tom Parsons for O'Donoghue (55), Darren Coen (0-02) for Cillian O'Connor (66).

Tipperary: Evan Comerford; Alan Campbell, Jimmy Feehan, Colm O'Shaughnessy; Bill Maher, Kevin Fahey (0-01), Robbie Kiely; Steven O'Brien (0-01), Liam Casey; Colin O'Riordan (0-02), Michael Quinlivan, Conal Kennedy; Brian Fox (1-00), Conor Sweeney (1-09, 8f), Colman Kennedy. 

Subs: Emmet Moloney for Casey (35), Philip Austin for Fox (35), Paudie Feehan (1-00) for Kiely (52), Dáire Brennan for Jimmy Feehan (55), Liam Boland for Kennedy (55).

Referee: David Gough.