Linfield have won their fourth Irish Premiership title in a row after beating Coleraine 2-0 at Windsor Park.
David Healy’s side led Cliftonville by one point heading into the final day as the Reds travelled to Glentoran.
After Chris Gallagher’s goal at the Oval gave Cliftonville hope, Ben Hall and Chris McKee netted right before the break to put Linfield on the brink.
Ryan Curran added a second for Cliftonville, who won 2-1, but Linfield eased to the title by one point.
Seanan Clucas pulled a late goal back for the lacklustre Glens at the Oval.
The victory over Coleraine marked Linfield’s fifth Gibson Cup success in six seasons and ended Cliftonville’s bid for a first title since 2014 after Paddy McLaughlin’s side pushed the champions all the way in a tense and tight race for the Irish Premiership.
The Reds, 22 points better off than last season, can take solace in their League Cup triumph and European qualification but the final whistle at Windsor Park sparked wild celebrations as Linfield claimed their 56th Irish League title.
Linfield had a big penalty appeals waved away inside five minutes when Eetu Vertainen spun into the area and fell under a challenge by Stephen O’Donnell. Referee Ian McNabb, despite big protests from the home support and Linfield players, was unmoved and waved away any appeals.
Chris Shields glanced a header wide from Kirk Millar’s free-kick, but the vocal home support were silenced when news of Gallagher’s goal filtered through the crowd.
Linfield struggled to break Coleraine down, restricted to Hall’s long effort, and Coleraine grew into the game as the half ticked on.
James McLaughlin curled a free-kick over the bar from 25 yards and Josh Carson had two chances, the second of which forced Chris Johns into a smart save.
However, Ethan Devine, on for the injured Vertainen, forced Martin Gallagher into a brilliant save from Niall Quinn’s corner and that sparked the home support into life.
Quinn’s corner was met by Hall on 43 minutes and the defender’s header flew into the top corner to spark wild celebrations, of both relief and joy, amongst the home support.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, boyhood Linfield fan McKee latched into Quinn’s low pass to slot the ball beyond Gallagher and make it two.
Linfield cruise to title after first-half show
The half-time break did little to stem Linfield’s newfound momentum. Jimmy Callacher powered a header wide from a corner as the first rendition of ‘we’re going to win the league’ ran out from the home support.
McLaughlin’s ambitious long-range effort was held by Johns and Matthew Shevlin curled over from an acute angle as Coleraine looked to dampen the party which had started in the Kop stand.
Carson volleyed an effort straight at Johns from 25 yards, but despite the Coleraine pressure the Bannsiders failed to really trouble Johns and Linfield eased to victory as the minutes ticked by.
Curtis Allen fired over the top with five minutes to play but Linfield rarely looked troubled and it was an anti-climatic finish to a superb title race, however it mattered not to the Windsor Park faithful who had not stopped singing from Hall’s opener.
Reds fall short despite win
Cliftonville’s attempt to secure a first league title sin eight years fell narrowly short as they beat Glentoran 2-1 at the Oval to lie one point behind the champions in the final reckoning.
Gallagher gave the Reds the lead in the 16th minute when he picked up the loose ball, controlled the ball on his chest and delivered a right-foot shot past Aaron McCarey from outside the area.
The ball took a wicked bounce before deceiving the Glens stopper and ending up in the top corner.
The visitors could have and should have extended their lead but McCarey denied Ronan Doherty from close range and Joe Gormley’s attempt from the rebound was cleared off the line.
The normally prolific Gormley squandered another opportunity when he skewed a right-foot shot wide from 10 yards out when he found himself in space.
News of Linfield’s late first-half double salvo dampened the spirits of the Cliftonville fans by half-time and soon after the break Michael O’Connor flashed a shot wide of the posts for the hosts.
McCarey distinguished himself again by palming away a Jamie McDonagh 35-yard free-kick which seemed destined for the top corner but the Reds’ second arrived soon after.
With 66 minutes on the clock Curran danced past a couple of attempted challenges before sliding the ball under the body of McCarey and into the net.
The home side pulled one back with 10 minutes remaining as Clucas met Bobby Burns’ corner with a glancing header.
Glentoran will contest the end-of-season play-offs with home advantage secured for their semi-final courtesy of their third place finish in the Premiership.
