It's as you were at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership following midweek victories for the top three while Dungannon Swifts also picked up a much needed three points and there was a draw at the Coleraine Showgrounds.
The stand out individual performance of the night belonged to Linfield's Shayne Lavery with his hat-trick helping the leaders sweep past Portadown at Windsor Park.
He opened the scoring after a quarter-of-an-hour with a header following good work from Jordan Stewart, added a second just before the break and claimed the match ball with a third on the hour.
Larne kept their challenge up with a 4-1 victory over Glenavon in the streamed game at Mourneview Park.
The sides traded goals midway through the first half, with Lee Lynch edging Larne in front on 21 minutes before Michael O'Connor levelled for the Lurgan Blues from the spot not long after.
But Larne stepped up a gear after the break thanks to goals from Jeff Hughes, Ronan Hale and an Andy Mitchell penalty.
At Seaview, it took an early Jordan Owens goal for third placed Crusaders to defeat Glentoran in an otherwise low key encounter.
And one goal was also all Dungannon Swifts needed to get the better of Ballymena United at The Showgrounds. Rhyss Campbell bagged the 81st minute winner following a bit of a goalmouth scramble, and it came moments after the Swifts' new keeper Roy Carroll had produced a world class save at the other end.
Meanwhile, Paul O'Neill marked his Cliftonville debut with a late equaliser as the Reds shared the points with Coleraine on the Ballycastle Road.
Rory Hale had opened the scoring for Cliftonville as early as the fourth minute but goals from Aaron Traynor and James McLaughlin meant the Bannsiders went in at the break with the upper hand ... and that was how it stayed until O'Neill struck on 86 minutes.
