Dayle Rooney capped a man-of-the-match display with his first goal of the season as Bohemians defeated Shelbourne in a cracking north Dublin derby.
It was a night to forget for champions Shelbourne who, with head coach Damien Duff absent from their bench as he served a suspension, had both captain Mark Coyle and Ali Coote sent off while coach David McAllister was also dismissed from the dugout.
Shels have now just one win in seven games since beating Bohemians at Tolka Park a month ago.
Conversely, it marked a seventh win in nine for Alan Reynolds' rejuvenated Bohemians who move up to third place in the table, two points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.
Serving a one-match ban for reaching five yellow cards, Duff watched from the grass bank behind Bohemians fans at the schoolhouse end of the ground with his assistant Joey O’Brien in charge from the dugout.
With Reynolds Calling for "raw passion" from his players ahead of the game, Bohemians started encouragingly, Ross Tierney stinging the hands of Conor Kearns with a crisp volley.
Shels briefly played their way into the game with John O’Sullivan drawing boos of derision from the home faithful when ballooning a strike way over the top.
Regaining the initiative, Bohemians soon had loud claims for a penalty not entertained.
Rooney treaded Tierney in behind to take the ball around Kearns with his shot striking Sean Gannon on the upper arm. Despite their protests, all Bohs got was the first corner of the game.
There could be little doubt on 36 minutes when Bohemians got their deserved lead from the penalty spot with the double whammy for Shelbourne seeing them reduced to 10 men.
It was a comedy of error from Reds’ skipper Coyle. Taking a heavy touch from a James Norris pass, he compounded that by pulling down the hustling Rooney.
Referee Rob Harvey had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and issuing Coyle with a straight red card.
Rooney took responsibility from 12 yards to rifle a well-struck penalty to the corner of the net, despite Kearns diving the right way (below), for a big first goal of the campaign.
Despite having scarcely been in the game, Shels should have been level at the interval but for a dreadful miss by Mipo Odubeko.
A slip by Bohs defender Rob Cornwall allowed the big striker to get in behind from Kerr McInroy's hopeful long ball. But, having done well to make room for the shot, Odubeko blazed high and wide with only Kacper Chorazka to beat.
Shels then wasted another opportunity to equalise three minutes after the break.
A mistake by Cornwall gifted the ball to McInroy who worked a one-two with Odubeko only to drive his shot straight at Chorazka, who parried it away.
With the game having opened up, the influential Rooney was then the architect of Bohemians coming close to doubling their lead, James Clarke stretching to get on the end of the winger’s cross which he toed over the bar.
Jordan Flores and Rhys Brennan had further chances as Bohs’ pressure mounted in search of a second goal.
It would have come on 67 minutes but for the save of the game from Kearns following a terrific piece of incisive Bohs play.
Tierney nodded down skipper Dawson Devoy’s delightfully dink pass into the path of Rooney, whose low drive was brilliantly batted away by Kearns.
It all then fell apart for Shelbourne as substitute Coote, booked on 76 minutes, was shown a second yellow card for diving seven minutes later.
For his protests, McAllister was then sent from the bench for dissent towards the fourth official.
Remarkably, despite all that, Shels might have snatched a point in stoppage time when Odubeko saw his shot deflected wide in a right scramble following a corner.
Bohemians: Kacper Chorazka; Niall Morahan, Rob Cornwall, Sean Grehan, Jordan Flores; Dawson Devoy, Adam McDonnell (Collie Whelan 74); Dayle Rooney, Ross Tierney (Arhie Meekison 89), Rhys Brennan (Connor Parson 65); James Clarke (Keith Buckley 74).
Shelbourne: Conor Kearns; Sean Gannon (Tyreke Wilson 81), Mark Coyle, Kameron Ledwidge; Evan Caffrey, John O’Sullivan (Ali Coote 59), JJ Lunney (John Martin 59), Kerr McInroy, Jame Norris (Daniel Kelly 81); Mipo Odubeko, Harry Wood (Ellis Chapman 68).
Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).
Attendance: 4,392.
