Coleraine beat Linfield as Larne lose against Swifts

Irish Premiership leaders Linfield suffered a first league loss since November as they were beaten 2-0 by Coleraine at Windsor Park.

Conor Murray scored twice to seal the win, but the Blues still hold a substantial lead at the top after second-place Glentoran lost on Friday night.

Champions Larne’s winless run in the league was extended as fell to another defeat against Dungannon Swifts at Inver Park.

Glenavon’s recent resurgence under Paddy McLaughlin was halted by Crusaders, who claimed a 1-0 win at Mourneview Park.

James Hood scored a stunner as Ballymena United ended their recent nine game run without a win as they beat Portadown 2-0 at the Showgrounds.

Kyle Cherry missed a penalty as Carrick Rangers were held to a goalless draw by fellow strugglers Loughgall.

Murray at the double for Bannsiders

Coleraine broke the deadlock midway through the opening half through a fine finish from Murray.

The midfielder exchanged passes with Kyle Spence on the edge of the Linfield penalty area before calmly despatching a low left foot drive past Blues’ goalkeeper David Walsh.

Linfield rallied in the closing stages of the half and Joel Cooper forced Coleraine goalkeeper Rory Brown into a smart save at his near post while Ethan McGee also had a header on target from a Kyle McClean corner.

They also had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Christopher Morrison after Cooper went tumbling in the box under a challenge from Spence.

The visitors came close to doubling their lead 10 minutes after the restart but Spence’s superbly hit volley from Jamie Glackin’s free-kick crashed off the underside of the crossbar before being cleared.

The points were secured with a little over 20 minutes remaining when Murray scored his second of the game, his right foot shot from distance deceiving Walsh and ending up in the back of the net.

That goal earned a first victory at Windsor Park against Linfield in six years for the Bannsiders.

Smash-and-grab from Swifts

The away side took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Mitchell finished coolly past a despairing Rohan Ferguson after Brandon Bermingham’s incisive through ball carved open Larne’s defence.

It was a sucker punch against the run of play, with Gary Haveron’s side dominating the first half but failing to capitalise on a series of chances.

Andy Ryan should have broken the deadlock inside the opening minutes, only for Declan Dunne’s outstretched foot to deny him after Chris Gallagher’s deflected pass found the attacker in space.

The striker was wasteful again later in the half, dragging a right-footed effort agonisingly wide after being teed up by Sean Graham.

Olatunde Bayode then spurned another golden opportunity before the half-hour mark, weaving into space eight yards from goal but firing tamely into Dunne’s arms.

Bayode had a chance to make amends shortly after the restart, ghosting in at the back post, but with the goal at his mercy, he blazed over.

Moments later, the Swifts nearly doubled their advantage when John McGovern’s overhit cross dipped unexpectedly onto the crossbar, forcing Ferguson into a desperate scramble.

Haveron’s men continued to press, but are now winless in their last five.

Crues pick up third successive win

In the first half, Glenavon looked the most likely to open the scoring, with Len O’Sullivan coming close with an effort at the back post from a well-worked corner.

The Lurgan Blues may have felt that they should have had a penalty in the first half too after David McDaid was fouled on the edge of the area.

Instead, they were given a freekick which Niall Quinn crashed off the crossbar.

However, it was Crusaders who claimed the opening goal in the 43rd minute after a Jarlath O’Rourke free-kick found Danial Larmour at the back post and he calmly slotted the ball home.

Glenavon pushed hard in the second half, but Crusaders were resolute and held on to claim a big three points on the road for their third successive league win.

Sky Blues get first win of the year

Ballymena went in front in spectacular fashion on 26 minutes when a long throw-in from the right flank was half headed out by the Ports defence only as far as Hood, who fired a half-volley past Aaron McCarey from the edge of the penalty area.

Portadown came close to an equaliser five minutes before the interval when Lee Chapman advanced into the Ballymena penalty area, but his shot crashed off the base of the post.

Ballymena squandered the chance to double their advantage just before the hour mark when they were awarded a penalty after a challenge by Baris Altintop on Calvin McCurry.

However, Success Edogun’s spot kick was saved by Aaron McCarey, and the striker could only bundle his follow-up effort into the side netting.

Shay McCartan twice came close for Portadown, firstly with a low angled shot beyond the far post and then a curling shot which missed its target by inches.

At the other end, Joe Moore was foiled by McCarey in a one-on-one encounter, but it was Moore who netted the decisive second goal deep in injury time, following up after McCarey had kept out Edogun’s initial effort to wrap up United’s first win of 2025.

Stalemate at Taylors Avenue

The home side made a bright start to the game with Nathan Gartside producing a diving save to divert Luke O’Brien’s shot from just outside the box out of play.

Loughgall grew into the with Pablo Andrade’s corner headed just wide by Ben Murdock at the back post, but it was Stephen Baxter’s side who had the best chance to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when Andrade brought down Nedas Maciulaitis in the box.

However, stopper Gartside dived to his left to deny Cherry’s resultant spot kick, which means that Carrick have now missed three penalties this season against the Villagers.

The second half took longer to come to life with Adam Foley unable to nod home a looping cross by Danny Gibson in the 65th minute.

As the game drew to a close, it was the away side who looked more dangerous, with substitute Kirk McLaughlin nearly making an instant impact as his strike crashed off the right-hand post.

Luke McCullough cleared Benji Magee’s effort off the line before Murdock fired narrowly wide as the spoils were shared.