A comfortable home win over Waterford that featured six different scorers means Shamrock Rovers will take an eight-point lead into their last six games as they seek to win their first league title since 2011.
While that is no foregone conclusion, it is now the sole focus of Stephen Bradley's side. Their FAI Cup quarter-final against Finn Harps is set for after the conclusion of the league campaign and their European journey came to a respectable end last week at the hands of AC Milan.
Waterford arrived at Tallaght unchanged from the side that beat Bohemians 2-0 in Dublin two weeks ago. Off the pitch, however, they were without the personality of John Sheridan, who departed as manager for the challenge of Wigan in the English League One.
With first-team coach Fran Rockett on the sideline, the Blues came with the hopes of making it three wins over Dublin sides in their last three fixtures after the win over Bohs and St Patrick’s Athletic the week before.
Instead, they left Dublin admiring the quality of the likely champions designate and rueing their own defensive mistakes as Aaron Greene, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Jack Byrne, Graham Burke and Dean Williams all hit the net. Michael O'Connor bagged a consolation for the visitors.
Shamrock Rovers 1-0 Waterford - Aaron Greene opens the scoring for the Hoops after some fancy footwork #rtesoccer #WatchLOI pic.twitter.com/lb1shaqxtA
— Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) September 21, 2020
The game kickstarted with a chance for Rovers to take the lead inside the opening three minutes.
Greene rushed down the left-wing onto a Byrne long ball, before crossing the ball onto the head of Aaron McEneff in the box. The Derry native, however, could only find the chest of Brian Murphy in the Waterford goal.
Rovers really should have opened the scoring on five minutes.
Byrne was again the creator as his whipped cross found the feet of Greene, who rocketed a shot off Murphy. Oluwatunmise Sobowakle rushed back to clear, as he and Greene challenged for the bouncing ball.
A moment of pinball in the box ended with the recovering Sobowakle hooking the ball from the line.
A fast start made the Hoops look like a team accustomed to the intensity that comes with playing against European giants, but, unlike Thursday’s encounter against AC Milan, this time it was them who held the ball.
The game flirted with calming down for a spell before igniting again when Graham Burke was put through one-on-one by a deflected pass.
The side’s top scorer shimmied the ball around the on-rushing goalkeeper before, somehow, finding the side netting. It was an inexplicable miss from the Irish international, who was celebrating his 27th birthday this evening.
If the match up until then belonged to Rovers, from the half-hour mark Waterford made their case, for ten minutes at least.
Ali Coote showed his quality to get on the ball and disperse it out to the channels. He took the first of a trio of Waterford shots that had the Hoops back three under pressure.
But Rovers took the ball back in the 40th minute and this time made their visitors pay.
Waterford were playing it around at the back before a loose pass found Rovers’ Neil Farrugia, and his pass was anything but loose into Greene, who smashed the ball in the near post.
Rovers swiftly added two more for a 3-0 half-time lead.
First, Roberto Lopes soared highest to head home a Byrne corner. Two minutes later, Waterford were perhaps preoccupied with stopping a repeat from Lopes but this time it was Lee Grace’s turn to head home the Byrne corner and give the Hoops a healthy lead.
Byrne the creator became the goalscorer minutes after the restart.
This time, his corner missed the head of its target before Ronan Finn found himself in possession on the opposite side. The Hoops captain whipped a cross back across the goal face, which Byrne struck low into the back of the net.
With a mountain to climb, Waterford looked to gather possession again but were let down defensively when Farrugia’s dribble and pass on the right found an unmarked Burke in the box. The forward finally got his sixth league goal of the season with a strike into the corner.
Eight minutes later, Burke slipped while helping out in the right-back position, and was slow to get up as his teammates roared at him to get back on his feet.
In the meantime, Tyreke Wilson had got on the ball behind him and cut the ball back to Michael O’Connor to score just inside the box.
As Rovers pushed to extend their lead, the Blues counter-attacked to restore some dignity to the scoreline. Rhys Marshall nearly made it six for the home side but for the bar which deflected his shot awry.
Waterford meanwhile, nearly had one back when Coote’s effort inside the box rolled across the goalmouth on 80 minutes.
Finally though, it was six for Rovers on the 90th minute. Byrne, again the artist, charged from inside his own half past a handful of blue jerseys, sliding the ball through to Williams, who finished coolly through Murphy’s legs.
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Joey O'Brien (Liam Scales, 60), Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Aaron McEneff (Gary O’Neill, 60); Neil Farrugia (Sean Kavanagh, 60), Ronan Finn (Rhys Marshall, 64), Dylan Watts; Jack Byrne; Graham Burke, Aaron Greene (Dean Williams, 64).
Waterford: Brian Murphy; Oluwatunmise Sobowakle, Jake Davidson, Robbie McCourt, Tyreke Wilson; Alistair Coote, Robert Weir (Darragh Power, 85), John Martin; Michael O’Connor, Matthew Smith, Kurtis Byrne (William Fitzgerald, 65).
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
