REDS CLOSE GAP AT THE TOP
Cliftonville defeated Larne at Solitude to join Tiernan Lynch's side level on points at the top of the table.
Although scoreless at the break both sides still had their chances during the first half.
Aaron Donnelly came close for Larne with a header from Tomas Cosgrove's cross while Lee Bonis had the ball in the net soon after only to have it ruled out offside. At the other end Ronan Hale saw an effort gathered by Rohan Ferguson.
Larne might have found a way through when Paul O'Neill produced a great stop from Nathan Gartside, before the keeper then proved equal to Ben Doherty's 25-yard effort.
But they did move in front on 50 minutes when Cosgrove did well to find Bonis who then beat Gartside at the near post.
Cliftonville levelled nine minutes after that, however, courtesy of a Sean Moore left-foot strike that took a deflection off Cian Bolger.
Then, with a quarter-of-an-hour to go, Rory Hale bagged what proved to be Cliftonville's winner after showing great composure to find space inside the area and send the ball past Rohan Ferguson.
Leroy Millar thought he had levelled for Larne only for his finish to be ruled out for a foul on Jonny Addis while, in the closing moments, Chris Curran was thwarted by a goalline Fuad Sule clearance in a frantic end to the game.
Cliftonville: Gartside, Ives, Addis, Gallagher, Rory Hale, Lowe, Doherty, Gormley, Turner, Ronan Hale, Moore subs Donnelly, C. Curran, R. Curran, Robinson, Storey, Casey, Coates
Larne: Ferguson, Want, Sule, Randall, O’Neill, Bonis, Doherty, Donnelly, Bolger, Millar, Cosgrove subs McIntyre, Kelly, Kearns, Gordon, Maguire, Hughes, Lusty
Substitution 
Substitution 
