Monaghan make Cork earn win

Cork 1-15 Monaghan 1-12

Cork overcame a stern test from Monaghan as they registered their second league win at Pairc Ui Chaoimh this afternoon.

Pearse O'Neill (0-5), Paddy Kelly (1-1) and Daniel Goulding (0-4) led the scoring for the reigning Division 1 and All-Ireland champions.

Kelly and Owen Duffy, who scored 1-3 for Monaghan, swapped goals as the Rebels led by 1-9 to 1-5 at half-time.

Monaghan's Mark Downey hit the crossbar and Dessie Mone closed the gap late on, but Cork took the verdict.

Goalkeeper Ken O'Halloran, full-back Eoin Cadogan and full-forward Ciaran Sheehan returned to the starting line-up for Cork's first home fixture in the Allianz Football League.

Monaghan, who were pipped by Armagh last weekend, made two changes to their side as Duffy and Brendan McKenna came in for Conor Galligan and Downey.

Conor Counihan's men opened well and were 0-3 to 0-0 ahead after nine minutes' play. Goulding, Fintan Goold and O'Neill picked off the early points, with Donncha O'Connor fouled for Goulding's opener.

Duffy and O'Neill traded points before the former lashed home the opening goal in the 14th minute. Monaghan had tagged on a point, and then the elusive Conor McManus laid the ball on for Duffy to send a powerful finish past O'Halloran on the right.

That put the Farney men in front at 1-2 to 0-4, but Goold and Goulding snapped the lead back for Cork and they were four points clear by the 27th minute.

O'Neill took his tally to three before Sheehan's poor attempt at a fisted point was seized upon by the alert Kelly who fired home an opportunist goal past Monaghan stopper Mark Keogh.

Conor O'Driscoll and Pearse O'Neill pointed to maintain Cork's four-point buffer before the interval, with Owen Lennon, McManus and Dessie Mone the pick of the Monaghan players.

The quality of play dropped in a somewhat ragged second period, but Eamonn McEneaney's Monaghan side kept in touch with some purposeful attacks.

Paul Finlay chipped away from frees and Tommy Freeman tried to influence proceedings. However, Cork were able to marshall his threat and although the gap was closed to two points on three occasions around the hour mark, the champions replied every time.

Points from Goulding, O'Connor, Sheehan and O'Neill, who scored his fifth of the afternoon in the 70th minute, proved crucial for the winners.

Downey's shot might have found the net on another day, but O'Halloran's goal survived and the result pulls Cork back to within two points of table toppers Dublin.