Shamrock Rovers cruise to derby win over Bohemians to extend winning run

Style and substance was the order of the day for Shamrock Rovers as they extended their winning run to five games by taking all three points in a raucous Dublin derby with Bohemians.

The home fans were heading for the exits with 10 minutes to go, a sure sign of the control the champions had over a contest they only briefly looked like being troubled in.

From the moment Andy Lyons pounced in the fifth minute it was the Hoops who asserted control.

A Max Murphy own goal 10 minutes before half-time was a helping hand they hardly required and even when Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe halved the deficit in the 68th minute the joy was fleeting.

Within 60 seconds Danny Mandroiu restored the two-goal advantage and the points were secured.

Jack Byrne's performance was the reason for Rovers' dominance.

He was left on his backside by a tackle roughly two seconds after kick-off but it was the only time he didn’t have the Bohs players chasing shadows.

The Republic of Ireland international picked the opportune time to show how he can run an entire game as well as make key contributions in the final third.

In front of the watching Stephen Kenny, the Rovers midfielder dominated a game of fire and fury not with aggression or strength, but anticipation, vision and, crucially, precision.

Byrne retained possession in even the tightest of crevices and provided the base from which the champions were able to knock the stuffing out of Bohs' early exuberance.

The opening goal after just five minutes was crucial to that and the Dubliner’s set-piece delivery – a constant thorn throughout the 90 minutes – caused panic in the home defence.

His outswinger from the right found its way to Mandroiu at the back post and his strike towards goal was turned home by another recent