Neil McDonald got his first win as Limerick manager as a late own goal from Dan Byrne gifted the Shannonsiders their win in seven games at Dalymount Park.
Chiedozie Ogbene’s 82nd minute header from Bastien Hery's cross looked to be going wide before Byrne knocked it into his own net.
The later action continued as Bohemians finished with 10 men when Dylan Hayes was shown straight red card for a foul on Ogbene in stoppage time.
The home side were then incensed when Limerick’s Shaun Kelly received just a yellow card for taking down Jamie Doyle seconds later when the Bohemians substitute to be looked through on goal.
Limerick carved the first chance in a cagey opening to the game on eight minutes; Rodrigo Tosi’s flicked effort being turned out for the first corner of the game after Lee-J Lynch’s cross was nodded down to the Brazilian at the far post.
Tosi then might have worked Shane Supple a little more two minutes later when making space to unleash a shot that lacked power and was easily gathered by the Bohemians keeper.
Having started much the brighter, Limerick got their reward with the lead goal on 15 minutes.
Bohs’ defensive midfielder Fuad Sule fouled visiting skipper Shane Duggan some 40 yards from goal. Hery’s free into the area was flicked on by Robbie Williams for Tosi to score with a well-placed looping header for his seventh league goal of the season.
Limerick remained on top as Bohs struggled to get a foothold in the game.
A mistake by Oscar Brennan gifted the ball to Lynch with the Bohs midfielder relieved to see the shot arrowing straight into the arms of Supple.
Scarcely having been in the game, Bohs effectively punished careless defending to equalise on the half hour.
Keith Ward was the instigator, his initial cross being headed back to him by Williams. The Gypsies’ number 10 then got his head up to pick out a sublime low pass across the box for Georgie Poynton who confidently drove his shot to the net past Hall.
Their tails up, Bohs were close to taking the lead on 37 minutes. Ward’s precise corner picked out Brennan whose goal-bound drive was bravely blocked by a defender.
In a more open game now, the sides swapped chances in the minutes before the break. Limerick wasting perhaps the better of them when Tosi just failed to connect with Tommy Robson’s deep ball from the left.
Back at the other end, Ward, the pulse of the Bohs attack, worked space to drill a low shot that fizzed narrowly wide.
As in the first, Limerick started the second half on the front foot and were inches from regaining the lead four minutes in. Duggan threaded a sublime ball through for Ogbene whose shot clipped the outside of Supple’s left-hand post.
Minutes later Tosi met Lynch’s right flank cross to flash a header wide of the far post.
Once again, Bohs worked their way into the game with Hall forced into his first real save of the game on 64 minutes, diving to his left to push Oscar Brennan’s shot out for a corner before the late drama unfolded.
Bohemians: Shane Supple; Dylan Hayes, Rob Cornwall, Dano Byrne, Lorcan Fitzgerald; Fuad Sule, Oscar Brennan (Ian Morris 79); Georgie Poynton, Keith Ward (Philip Gannon 84), Paddy Kavanagh (Jamie Doyle 84); Dinny Corcoran.
Limerick: Freddy Hall; Shaun Kelly, Barry Cotter (Tony Whitehead 71), Robbie Williams, Tommy Robson; Lee-J Lynch, Shane Duggan, Bastien Hery, Chedozie Ogbene; Chris Mulhall (Dean Clarke 78), Rodrigo Tosi.
