Champions Shamrock Rovers claimed their first win of the new season over old rivals Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium in what was a match of two goalkeepers.
While Alan Mannus excelled between the sticks for Stephen Bradley's side, his opposite number Alessio Abibi was found wanting for both of the home side’s goals as the Lilywhites still await their first victory of the campaign.
The Louth men arguably had the pick of the chances on the night but a combination of poor defending and suspect goalkeeper allowed Danny Mandroiu and Dylan Watts to score from long range with Watts’ strike on 73 minutes a real hammer blow at a time when the visitors were turning the screw.
Patrick Hoban did pull a goal back for Dundalk a minute from the end but it was not enough to prevent the visitors slipping to their second defeat of the season.
The last time Dundalk had lower points after three games in the top flight was almost 50 years ago at the start of the 1971/72 season when they lost their opening three league matches.
It's the club's worst start to a league season since 2006 when Dundalk had no points after three games while it is also the worst start to a Premier Division season since 1998/99 when they also had 1 point from their opening 3 games.
RECAP: SHAMROCK ROVERS v DUNDALK
The result will pile pressure on a Dundalk management team already under the spotlight due to their recent demotion of Filippo Giovagnoli from head coach to coach.
For Rovers, their season is up and running after an opening day draw against St Patrick’s Athletic. They will have to be more creative if they’re to dominate as well as they did last season but this was a start that they’ll want to build on.
The home side almost had the lead inside the opening minute when Mandroiu broke on the left to pull back to Graham Burke, who scooped the ball over from the edge of the area.
Dundalk suffered a major blow in the build-up to that chance with centre half Brian Gartland going down with a serious looking injury that resulted in him being stretchered off after five minutes of a stoppage.
With regular midfielder Greg Sloggett coming in to the back three, Rovers continued to threaten with Chris McCann’s effort being tipped over by Abibi on 13 minutes.
The visitors did have a great chance on the quarter hour mark when Raivis Jurkovskis’ ball put Michael Duffy in behind Lee Grace but after beating Sean Hoare to cross his ball towards Patrick Hoban was somehow turned behind for a corner by Liam Scales.
The Hoops had much of the chances after that with Burke having a shot parried away on 17 minutes before Lee Grace headed wide from his free kick 11 minutes later.Aaron Greene then pulled a shot across the face of goal after beating Andy Boyle to Burke’s pass soon after before the breakthrough arrived on 36 minutes.
The Dundalk defence was guilty of sleeping as Mandroiu picked up Ronan Finn’s lay off to send a scorching shot to the net as Abibi floundered in his attempt to make the save.
Rovers thought they had made it 2-0 within a minute of the restart when Greene slotted in from Mandroiu’s pass but the offside flag saw it chalked off.
Dundalk then had a decent spell of their own with half-time substitute Ole Erik Midtskogen beating Scales to get a shot away a minute later but unfortunately for the Norwegian the effort was straight at Mannus.
The Northern Ireland goalkeeper then made a rather unorthodox save with his chest to keep out Michael Duffy’s piledriver from the edge of the box before Cameron Dummigan pulled a shot wide from 25 yards in the 50th minute after nicking in ahead of Mandroiu.
Dummigan then turned provider for Duffy on 61 minutes when he played him in on the left but despite beating Mannus on this occasion he was denied by the crossbar.
Sean Gannon then went agonisingly close to scoring against his old club when his shot deflected just across the face of goal six minutes later.
Having been guilty of a howler in last week’s defeat to Finn Harps, Abibi almost made it two from two on 70 minutes when he spilled Finn’s cross through his legs with Greene almost pouncing for what would have been a tap-in only for the Albanian to recover.
Sam Stanton then flashed an effort just wide for Dundalk on 73 minutes before Duffy was again denied by Mannus after a close range shot from Dummigan’s cross with Midtskogen heading the follow up over.
The game was then over as a contest on 76 minutes when Watts fired home from range with Abibi once again found wanting.
Greene then had a chance soon after to make it 3-0 but fired wide on the break before Mannus denied Dundalk a route back into the game four minutes from the end when he turned Dummigan’s shot around the post.
The Louth men’s lack of luck was then summed up moments later when Junior struck the upright from Boyle’s cross.
They did eventually make the breakthrough on 89 minutes when Hoban nodded in from a Chris Shields cross but it was a case of too little, too late with Rory Gaffney going closest in the four minutes of stoppage time when he curled a shot just wide of the post.
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Sean Hoare, Lee Grace, Liam Scales; Sean Gannon (Gary O’Neill 73), Chris McCann, Ronan Finn, Sean Kavanagh; Danny Mandroiu (Rory Gaffney 78), Aaron Greene, Graham Burke (Dylan Watts 64). Subs not used: Leon Pohls, Dean Williams, Darragh Nugent, Neil Farrugia, Max Murphy, Conan Noonan.
Dundalk: Alessio Abibi; Brian Gartland (Greg Sloggett 6) (Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe 73), Andy Boyle, Daniel Cleary; Cameron Dummigan, Chris Shields, Sam Stanton, Raivis Jurkovskis (Darragh Leahy 82); Ryan O’Kane (Ole Erik Midtskogen HT), Patrick Hoban, Michael Duffy. Subs not used: Peter Cherrie, Val Adedokun, David McMillan, Han Jeong Woo, Jesus Perez.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan).
