MANZINGA AT THE DOUBLE AS BLUES START WITH A WIN
Two Christy Manzinga goals helped Linfield kick off their title defence with victory over Crusaders at Windsor Park.
After the sides traded chances during the opening half-an-hour it fell to the 25-year-old to open the scoring on 31 minutes when he nodded home at the back post after Trai Hume had headed Kirk Millar's corner back across the face of goal.
Billy Chadwick might have added a second just before the break but he just failed to find the target after Manzinga had won possession to create the opening.
Chadwick was denied again not long after the restart when Josh Robinson blocked his close range effort.
But, on 52 minutes, it was 2-0 after Manzinga ran onto a Jimmy Callacher through ball to brilliantly finish low into the far corner.
Linfield looked the more likely to score again as the game progressed with Jordan Stewart seeing an effort blocked and another cleared off the line while new signing Matt Green almost marked his debut with a goal only to be thwarted by a last ditch tackle.
Linfield: Johns, Newberry, Shields, Callacher, Millar, Hume, Manzinga, M. Clarke, Mulgrew, Chadwick, Palmer subs Walsh (not used), Roscoe-Byrne (not used), Stewart (replaced Chadwick 66), Donnelly (replaced Palmer 90+2), Salam (replced Millar 90+2), A. Clarke (not used), Green (replaced Manzinga 77)
Crusaders: Tuffey, Burns, Kennedy, Lecky, Frazer, Caddell, O'Rourke, Larmour, G. Thompson, Heatley, Robinson subs Shields (not used), Hegarty (not used), Weir (replaced Lecky 61), Doyle (replaced Heatley 75), Owens (replaced Frazer 61), Holland (replaced G. Thompson 88), J. Thompson (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
