Blues and Reds make it three wins from three

Linfield and Cliftonville made it three wins from three at the start of the new Irish Premiership season with wins over Glenavon and Dungannon Swifts respectively on Tuesday night.

Joel Cooper scored twice and Kirk Millar was also on target as the Blues won 3-0 at Mourneview Park to top the league table on goal difference.

Joe Gormley's second-half goal saw the Reds take a 1-0 victory at Solitude.

Crusaders maintained their winning start to the campaign by following up their opening night 1-0 win over Glentoran with a success over Ballymena United at the Showgrounds by the same scoreline.

Kieran Offord again proved the matchwinner for Declan Caddell's side who trail the leading teams by three points with a game in hand.

Coleraine remain unbeaten after a 0-0 draw with Glentoran at the Oval while Loughgall have also yet to taste defeat this term following a 2-2 draw with Portadown at Lakeview Park.

It took just 96 seconds for the visitors to break the deadlock as former Glenavon man Cooper latched onto a Matthew Fitzpatrick through ball before firing past Gareth Deane to give the Blues an early lead.

David Healy's side doubled their lead just before the 20 minute mark as Cooper turned provider this time, finding Kirk Millar in acres of space at the back post with a low cross before he found the top corner with his precise first-time effort.

Things went from bad to worse for the Lurgan Blues as Cooper added his second. Deane initially made a great save from Euan East, but could only parry the ball into the penalty area where Cooper was on hand to fire home into the bottom corner despite being off balance.

The second half wasn't overly eventful, with Linfield happy to settle for their three goals and Glenavon unable to create anything at all up the top end of the pitch.

Gormley's decisive strike arrived in the 64th minute when Declan Dunne parried Shea Gordon's incisive low cross. The ball landed at Gormley's feet, and his mis-hit effort nestled into the net, sparking jubilation among the home supporters.

Earlier, the visitors had come tantalisingly close to seizing the advantage in the 31st minute. Former Reds winger Thomas Maguire cut in from the left and delivered a pinpoint cross to the back post. Leo Alves met it with precision, but his strike cannoned off the crossbar from close range.

The hosts had chances of their own to break the deadlock before half-time. Debutant Ryan Markey found himself one-on-one with Dunne in the 41st minute, but the Swifts' goalkeeper expertly thwarted the forward's delicate chip.

Moments before the interval, Jonny Addis headed wide from a Ronan Doherty free-kick, ensuring the sides remained level at the break.

In the second half, Dungannon continued to press for an equaliser. Their best chance came when Niall Owens forced a superb save from David Odumosu in the 70th minute, meeting Alves's cross in the six-yard area.

Crusaders took a fifth minute lead at the Showgrounds with a superbly-worked goal.

Daniel Larmour’s pass sent full-back Jacob Blaney scampering down the right flank and his angled cross was met with a stylish diving header by Offord.

Jordan Stewart almost doubled the visitors’ advantage soon afterwards but his attempted chip landed on top of the net.

Ballymena went close to levelling just before half-time when Calvin McCurry cut in from the left and his curling shot looked destined for the top corner before Crusaders keeper Jonny Tuffey brilliantly clawed the effort away at full stretch.

United pressed hard for an equaliser in the second period but the visitors defended stoutly and Tuffey was rarely called upon as Crusaders made it back-to-back wins.

At the Oval, Matthew Shevlin, a goalscorer in both of Coleraine’s opening two games, should have done better when presented with a great chance inside the opening five minutes.

The in-form striker latched on to a poor back pass from James Singleton but he was forced wide by Glentoran ‘keeper Daniel Gyollai and the chance was gone.

Cammy Palmer tried his luck from distance just minutes later but his 25-yard right foot effort curled just the wrong side of Rory Brown’s far post.

Jamie McGonigle was similarly off target with a long range effort just after the half hour and Shevlin was denied by a smart save by Gyollai as the visitors finished the first half strongly.

The home side started the second half strongly and had strong claims for a penalty as Cammy Palmer’s shot appeared to strike Coleraine defender Cameron Stewart’s hand but referee Jamie Robinson was unmoved.

They came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock with 15 minutes remaining when sub David Fisher’s free-kick whistled past Brown’s post from fully 30 yards.

The Coleraine goalkeeper had to be alert, too, to reach up and tip over Jordan Jenkins’ goalbound header from a deep Fuad Sule cross to the back post.

And he proved his worth again in added time as he stood tall to deny Fisher from Niall McGinn’s whipped free-kick from out on the touchline.

At Lakeview Park, Ryan Mayse gave Portadown a dream start as he pounced on a slack pass and his first-time effort from around 30 yards flew over Nathan Gartside for the opening goal just two minutes in.

The lead didn't last long, however, as five minutes later, a long throw-in from the right broke to Nathaniel Ferris who scrambled home.

Portadown almost restored the lead but Gartside made a superb fingertip save to divert Josh Ukek's effort around the post.

The visitors were much improved after the break and again they enjoyed a superb start as Mayse beat the offside trap along the right wing to pull back across goal where Ukek finished.

Loughgall levelled again in the 65th minute and had an element of good fortune as Tiernan's Kelly's shot from outside the box took a deflection off Lewis MacKinnon and beat Aaron McCarey.

Both teams were intent on finding a winner, but it wouldn't arrive as they settled for a draw which ensures Loughgall add to their weekend win, while Portadown are off the mark following two narrow defeats.