Irish Premiership: Reds draw with Blues to go four clear at top

Cliftonville stretched their lead at the Premiership summit as Joe Gormley equalised in a 1-1 draw with champions Linfield at Windsor Park.

Jordan Stewart's deflected strike put Linfield ahead after seven minutes and the Blues controlled the first half.

Cliftonville improved with Gormley heading in a 56th-minute leveller from Jamie McDonagh's superb cross.

Both sides had chances to win it but it was deserved outcome with the Reds now four clear while Linfield stay third.

Cliftonville and Linfield remain the only unbeaten sides in the league and the Blues, who sit five points behind the Reds, have a game in hand on the Solitude club.

David Healy's side impressed in beating Glentoran 3-0 on Tuesday night and they were the better side in a first half of few chances.

The first of those was snapped up by Stewart as he finished a fine team move, started by an excellent Chris Shields pass, by rifling a deflected shot past keeper Declan Dunne.

Linfield were happy to play on the counter-attack against a Reds side which struggled to play through the well organised Blues.

Johnny Addis and McDonagh headed over for Cliftonville while Stephen Fallon sent his effort off-target at the other end.

Trai Hume fired straight at Dunne at the start of an entertaining second half as the visitors upped the tempo and grabbed the equaliser.

McDonagh's pinpoint delivery from the right was met by Gormley, who displayed the goal-scoring instincts which have served him so well by finding space at the near-post to net with a clinical header.

The north Belfast outfit were now on the front-foot with Gormley and substitute Rory Hale combining before Ryan Curran whistled just wide.

Matthew Clarke could only find the arms of Dunne with a Linfield opening and Stephen Fallon fizzed across goal and inches past the Reds woodwork with three minutes left.