Linfield 2-5 Crusaders
Last updated 23rd Oct 2017
Crusaders ran riot at Windsor Park on Monday night, beating Linfield 5-2 in a pulsating clash between two of the strongest teams in the Danske Bank Premiership.
The visitors started brightly and in the 3rd minute an incisive break by Gavin Whyte saw him tee up Jordan Owens - but his effort was saved, and Paul Heatley’s follow up was deflected over.
In the 13th minute Linfield defender Mark Haughey’s powerful drive from distance needed a big hand from Brian Jensen to see it over the bar.
5 minutes later, Blues forward Andy Waterworth turned Howard Beverland inside the box and then fired a shot which was parried behind by the big Danish keeper.
The opener came in the 22nd minute as Jordan Forsythe clipped a low cross into the Linfield box from the right which was met first time by the right foot of Paul Heatley.
The winger was just inside the area when he caught the ball cleanly with his right foot to send a low volley into the bottom left corner.
After just 32 minutes the Crues were in control as Mark McCrystal’s driven cross from the left was headed into his own net by Mark Stafford.
The Linfield centre-back was able to make amends in the 38th minute when he got in front of Jensen to head home Kirk Millar’s corner from the left, and pull one back for the defending champions.
However, Crusaders managed to score again with one minute remaining of what had been an explosive, end-to-end first half.
Gavin Whyte surged down the right with a typical display of his blistering pace, streaking clear of a desperate challenge on the halfway line by Robbie Garrett.
The winger squared it to Matthew Snoddy inside the box, but his shot came back off the bar.
Whyte had continued into the box and he collected the loose ball before calmly placing it beyond Roy Carroll to make it 3-1 at the break.
Early into the second half Crusaders looked slightly less assured at the back.
First the defence gifted the ball to Waterworth, and were then completely split open by a long pass forward from Jimmy Callacher which required Jensen to run clear of his box to make a sliding tackle.
Just 11 minutes into the 2nd half, Linfield pulled another goal back to reduce the deficit.
Andrew Mitchell floated a cross from deep into the Crusaders box and Aaron Burns got between his markers to head beyond a flat-footed Jensen and make it 3-2 to the visitors.
Linfield continued to hunt down an equaliser which almost came in the 66th minute, but McCrystal was back in the right place at the right time to clear Matthew Clarke's shot off the line.
For all Linfield's efforts they couldn't find a way to carve open a resolute Crusaders defence, and in the 81st minute the visitors scored a decisive 4th goal.
Gavin Whyte once again broke into space down the right, and having worked his way into the Blues box he was left with few options, and smashed the ball along the 6 yard line.
Fortunately for Crusaders it bounced off the thigh of Jimmy Callacher and flashed beyond Roy Carroll, who was unfortunate to concede his second own goal of the night.
In the 88th minute, a defensive mix-up saw Linfield fail to clear their lines, and Whyte was able to reclaim possession and tee up Philip Lowry to slam home a 5th goal for Crusaders.