A Dungannon Swifts side full of spirit fell just short at Windsor Park, but only after giving Linfield the fright of their lives on Halloween weekend.
The build-up to this game had been dominated by macabre predictions that Dungannon, haunted by a run of dismal results, would produce a horror show against the champions.
But it proved not to be the case, with a single strike from Aaron Burns proving the difference.
The defender shattered Swifts’ brave resistance in the 63rd minute, ghosting in to break the deadlock after Rory Patterson’s header had been parried.
It came as Dungannon were temporarily reduced to 10 men, after Johnny Topley was forced off the field to change a blood-soaked jersey.
While it was an unconvincing display from Linfield, they held on for an 11th league victory and now lead the table by five points with a game in hand.
Yet Swifts boss Dixie Robinson will wonder how his side didn’t get something from the fixture.
Stefan Lavery missed one terrific chance when through on goal while Ryan Mullan rattled the post in the closing stages as Linfield just about held on for the win.
But Robinson can take pride from a vastly improved performance, which laid to rest some of the ghosts from the previous weekend’s 5-0 drubbing against Glentoran.
Predictably Robinson opted for a defensive approach, at times putting 10 men behind the ball, and it frustrated the Blues for long periods.
The first incident of note came after 20 minutes when Damian Curran finished off a cross from Michael Carvill, but his goal was rightly ruled out for a push on the goalkeeper.
Otherwise it was proving a difficult afternoon for the Blues’ forward line, which struggled against Swifts’ highly disciplined, defensive game plan.
An injury to Alan Blayney meant former Dungannon ‘keeper Stuart Addis started in nets for Linfield, but he also had a relatively quiet afternoon.
His only task in the first half was to take possession of Lavery’s left-foot strike in the 37th minute after good approach work by Topley.
Certainly the home fans weren’t happy, and the boos which rang out as the teams walked off at half-time would have been hugely encouraging for Dungannon.
And things could have got even better two minutes into the second half. Terry Fitzpatrick played Lavery clean through, but his strike was tipped wide by Addis.
A minute later Lavery turned provider, touching on a corner from Darren Murphy towards Topley, but his strike across goal was blocked.
Yet the Linfield pressure had been slowly gathering, with the introduction of Patterson and Philip Lowry posing a fresh challenge for Dungannon.
Within four minutes of entering the action Patterson flicked on a corner from Robert Garrett, with Ryan McCluskey blocking the ball on the line.
Then, in the 63rd minute, the Blues finally broke through.
Another header from Patterson, this time on a deep Curran cross, was parried by the ‘keeper and Burns reacted first, firing home on the half-volley.
Now it was David Jeffrey’s turn to try and shut up shop, with Billy-Joe Burns replacing McAllister in a defensive move.
Swifts’ substitute Ryan O’Neill fired well wide from distance, before the woodwork cruelly denied the visitors a deserved equaliser.
Dermot McCaffrey pumped a long kick into the home box, and Mullan beat the ‘keeper to the ball but his header come back off the left post.
With Dungannon pushing men forward, Linfield could have added a second on the break.
Billy-Joe Burns pulled the ball back for Garrett but his low strike struck the post, while Niall Morgan also produced impressive blocks to twice thwart Patterson.
LINFIELD: Addis, Douglas, Gault (Lowry, 56), Curran, Carvill, A Burns, Fordyce (Patterson, 56), Garrett, Ervin, Watson, McAllister (BJ Burns, 70)
Subs not used: Murphy, Casement
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, McCluskey, Mullan, Montgomery (O’Neill, 76), McClean, S Lavery (McCready, 76), Fitzpatrick, McCaffrey, Murphy (McGerrigan, 70), Topley, Ward
Subs not used: Campbell, Funston
Referee: Raymond Crangle (Belfast)
