HUGE WIN AS LARNE CLOSE THE GAP
Larne collected a huge three points after coming behind to defeat leaders Linfield at Windsor Park.
The Blues got off to a bright start, with Matthew Fitzpatrick creating the first effort of the game with a right foot effort although Rohan Ferguson did deal with the threat comfortably at his near post.
But Linfield moved in front after a quarter-of-an-hour with a stunning finish from Joel Cooper who created a little space for himself after collecting a Chris Shields long ball to unleash a sublime effort from just outside the box into the top corner.
However Larne levelled just nine minutes after that with as equally an impressive effort when Mark Randall picked up possession in the middle of the pitch before bringing it forward a little and letting fly with an exquisite 30-yard effort into the net despite Chris Johns' best efforts at getting a hand to it.
Johns did save Linfield from falling behind a little after that when he reacted superbly to dive to his right to deny a Levi Ives shot from outside the area which looked destined for the bottom corner.
As with the first half Fitzpatrick came close for Linfield not long after the interval with a header from Kyle McClean's cross but he couldn't direct the ball on target.
Larne responded on 55 minutes with what proved to be the winner. Ives did well to send over a cross from the right onto which Joe Thomson managed to connect to glance a header into the corner beyond Johns' reach.
That ultimately proved to be the difference between the sides with Linfield only coming close to salvaging an equaliser when Michael Newberry met a Kirk Millar corner but Ferguson was equal to the threat.
Linfield: Johns, East, Newberry, Shields, Millar, McClean, Cooper, Clarke, McKee, Mulgrew, Fitzpatrick subs Walsh, McBrien, Haygarth, McCullough, Annett, Archer, Doherty
Larne: Ferguson, Donnelly, Thomson, Randall, O'Neill, Ives, Bolger, Millar, Cosgrove, Graham, Orozco subs Dowling, Farquhar, Bonis, Lloyd, Glynn, Sloan, Ryan
Substitution 
Substitution 
