Cliftonville 1-3 Linfield
Last updated on .From the section Football
Linfield moved seven points clear at the top of the Premiership after beating 10-man Cliftonville.
Substitute Daryl Fordyce fired the Blues into a 29th minute lead before Reds defender Mark Clarke was sent-off seconds later for two yellow cards.
Fordyce stabbed in to make it 2-0 but Joe Gormley gave the hosts hope with a close-range header after 62 minutes.
Peter Thompson sealed a Solitude win by heading home after keeper John Connolly parried a William Murphy volley.
Fordyce replaced the injured Mark McAllister after 18 minutes and made a quick impact by firing low across Connolly and into the net for the opener.
A poor challenge on Thompson resulted in Clarke's dismissal and Fordyce finished from Philip Lowry's cushioned header to make it even tougher for the Reds.
The champions looked comfortable until young forward Gormley nipped in to score from a headed knock-down.
The two-goal advantage was restored five minutes later when Connolly could only palm Murphy's fierce volley into the air and Thompson was perfectly placed to nod in from a yard.
Portadown's 2-0 defeat at Dungannon Swifts pushed the gap at the top out to seven points, while Cliftonville are now 10 points back in third.
