Shamrock Rovers took a firm grip on the race for third place and the final guaranteed European spot with an emphatic 4-1 win over Finn Harps at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.
With fourth-placed Derry City surprisingly on the end of a 5-0 thumping at home to Bray Wanderers, the Hoops took full advantage to move four points clear with five games to play.
Gary Shaw opened the scoring in the first half and the Hoops pulled clear after the break thanks to a Brandon Miele free kick and a quick-fire double from substitute James Doona.
The Hoops almost led after four minutes as Ronan Finn's cross picked out Shaw six yards out and his header seemed destined for the net only for Ciaran Gallagher to expertly claw the ball away.
A lovely chipped pass from the returning Luke Byrne sent Trevor Clarke free on the left and he fizzed a ball across goal that really should have been turned in by someone in a green shirt.
From the loose ball, Miele made himself a yard and shot inches past the post, while at the other end Danny Morrissey threatened with a long-range effort he couldn't quite keep down.
Shaw was in London last week for an imaging scan in order to have a face mask fitted to protect a jaw injury sustained in the win over Cork City earlier this month.
And he found himself on the end of a different kind of King's cross, Cameron King's ball across goal putting a tenth league goal of the season on a plate for the Newbridge striker.
Harps could have had a route back into the game when Caolan McAleer fell over Dave McAllister's outstretched boot in the box but the Tyrone man was harshly booked for diving.
It continued to be one-way traffic as the half drew to a close and the Hoops hit the post twice in quick succession as they looked to put the game behind their visitors.
First, a one-two between Miele and Shaw ended with the winger curling a shot off the right upright, before Shaw burst through and nicked the ball over Damien McNulty only to be thwarted by the same post.
Miele did get his goal six minutes after the break, curling a free-kick right-footed past Gallagher after Clarke had been felled on the edge of the box.
Gallagher had to be at his best to deny Gary Shaw with a full-length save just past the hour, and he again denied the striker moments later as he tried to round the keeper.
Doona, on as a replacement for the injured Clarke, did make it three shortly after, again from King's assist, twisting past two challenges in the box before firing under Gallagher.
And he was on the scoresheet again five minutes later as he was found in the box by King's replacement, Ryan Connolly, and he finished emphatically.
BJ Banda grabbed a late a consolation for Harps, the Donegal man finishing with style with two minutes to play, but it was too little too late for the visitors.
Shamrock Rovers: Tomer Chencinski; Simon Madden, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Luke Byrne (Dean Carpenter 66); David McAllister, Ronan Finn, Cameron King (Ryan Connolly 70), Trevor Clarke (James Doona 61), Brandon Miele; Gary Shaw.
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Tommy McBride, Damien McNulty, Shane Blaney, Mark Timlin; Gareth Harkin, Paddy McCourt, Jonny Bonner (Ibrahim Keita 59), Caolan McAleer (BJ Banda 81), Danny Morrissey (Liam Walsh); Eddie Dsane.
Referee: Robert Hennessy (Limerick).
