Second half goals from Padraig O'Driscoll and Liam Ryan saw Dublin pull off the sensation of the hurling season as they scored a 2-07 to 1-08 NHL Division 1B victory over Galway at Parnell Park.
The so far unbeaten Dubs, last year's Division 2 champions, drew with Kilkenny last month and they went one better today as they ended Ger Loughnane's 100% start to his Galway managerial reign.
Niall Healy struck three points as the Tribesmen led 0-04 to 0-01 at half-time. But Dublin fought back to lead 1-05 to 0-05 with O’Driscoll scoring 1-01.
Healy's 54th-minute goal and points from Alan Kerins and Eugene Cloonan edged Galway ahead, before Ryan booted to the net and Stuart Mullen pointed to see the hosts to an unforgettable success.
Corner-forward Healy was easily the game's best player in the opening half – he pointed after only 15 seconds as Loughnane’s charges went about their business.
But they met their match in Dublin goalkeeper Gary Maguire. Three times the superb Ballyboden St Enda's stopper foiled the Galway forwards, twice in the opening quarter-hour.
First he denied Healy as he parried away his driven shot from the right, and he stopped a rising shot from Ger Farragher as Galway sought the goals that would be the game beyond their hosts.
Healy doubled Galway's lead before Kevin Flynn flashed over an excellent score, which proved to be Dublin's only point of the first 35 minutes.
As the weather worsened – hail began to fall – and the floodlights were switched on a dark afternoon in the capital, frees from Mark Kerins and Healy stretched Galway's lead to 0-04 to 0-01 before the interval.
Loughnane looked for his side to up the ante in the second half, as he sprung Eugene Cloonan, Damien Hayes and Alan Kerins from the bench.
With all that firepower, surely the men from the west would go on to record their third straight league win? The answer from Tommy Naughton's home side was an emphatic no.
David Curtin hit two frees, Cloonan replied at the other end but Dublin then clambered into the lead for the first time.
Ronan Fallon, who starred at centre-back, whacked a long ball forward, O'Driscoll controlled it and turned before unleashing a smashing shot beyond the reach of Galway number one Liam Donoghue.
It got even better for the Dubs as points followed from Kevin O'Reilly and full-forward O’Driscoll saw them take a 1-05 to 0-05 clear.
Galway grabbed a slender lead again when Alan Kerins pointed and Damien Hayes played in Healy for his goal, which was an angled drive to Maguire's right. Curtin and Alan Kerins traded points before Cloonan's 62nd-minute put Galway 1-08 to 1-06 ahead.
Ryan's goal was an excellent one as he cut through the visitors' defence, on a purposeful run, before kicking past the stranded Donoghue.
The Dubs had to survive a further eleven minutes of play as there was plenty of time added on due to an injury to Dublin substitute Eoin Murphy who was involved in an accidental collision.
Mullen cracked over an injury-time point much to the delight of his team-mates and a combination of Phillip Brennan and Maguire prevented Cloonan from stealing the win at the death as his late, late goal chance was scrambled away to safety.
