BOHEMIANS lost the plot and surrendered top spot inside three minutes of mayhem - but still had Derry hanging on at the death.
The Gypsies led the league for 12 of the 14 rounds of games before this and constantly fended off jibes about nose bleeds and their ability to hang tough.
But last week’s derby defeat to Shamrock Rovers, and the draw at UCD the week before it, had signalled they may be running out of puff.
READ MORE: UCD 0-3 Shamrock Rovers - Hoops good form continues with win over students
Here, they were ultimately architects of their own downfall with Grant Horton seeing red after only 14 minutes, before Ryan Graydon bagged the winner three minutes later.
And for the remainder of that opening half, it looked certain that Derry - who moved up to second - would eventually pull further clear, such was their dominance.
And yet 10-man Bohs finished the game feeling hard done by, not to have rescued a point after a tremendous effort that had Derry on the ropes.
Georgie Kelly, the Rotherham striker who was such a hit with the Gypsies, was here at Dalymount to cheer on his former team.
But they hampered themselves no end in that chaotic three-minute spell, losing their head and ultimately the points.
Michael Duffy had to bide his time to get into his flow this season having suffered an injury on the opening night back in February.
He returned to action last month and the flying winger is back doing what he does best - torturing full backs.
Yet Horton only had himself to blame in this instance, having lost possession on the edge of his own box.
Duffy didn’t have to be asked twice to capitalise and robbed the ball off the Englishman who then brought the Candystripes ace down in a clumsy challenge.
Horton’s defensive team-mates were too far away to scramble across and referee Paul McLaughlin deemed Horton the last man back and flashed the red.
Bohs could have few complaints but Derry capitalised on their numerical advantage in ruthless fashion three minutes later.
This time Duffy was the provider and his low cross into the box was turned home by opposite winger Graydon who made a powerful run off the flank past Paddy Kirk.
And Bohs - who shifted skipper Keith Buckley from midfield to right-back in Horton’s absence - were blessed not to be further behind at the break.
Derry, operating with Ollie O’Neill as a false nine, dominated the ball thereafter and Bohs couldn’t get a sniff. When they did, they coughed up possession too easily.
Shane McEleney and Cameron McJannett powered headers over James Talbot’s bar from set-piece deliveries, but were unmarked doing so and should have capitalised.
And speaking of bars, there was a mass exodus from one end of the Jodi Stand towards the pubs underneath with 10 minutes of that half still to play.
Their team were in that thankless position of trying to contain a free flowing opponent, while offering little or nothing to inspire the home crowd.
And frustration crept in with cries of ‘Lift it, Bohs’ from sections of their support who only had a very early Jonathan Afolabi header that sailed over to cheer.
But Jordan Flores lifted spirits 10 minutes into the second-half with the Gypsies first shot on target. That it came from his own half was telling in itself.
At that point, Derry weren’t exactly carving them open despite their possession, and Bohs were finding it hard to break upfield.
So Flores, no stranger to scoring some outrageous goals, spotted Brian Maher off his line and hit a hopeful shot that the backtracking goalkeeper gathered.
Then Kris Twardek - a half-time sub - forced Maher to save down low as the home crowd finally found their voice with Bohs now much improved.
With the clock against them, and knowing Derry were slow to test Talbot in any great way, they had nothing to lose and took more risks.
Afolabi’s header off a long Flores throw had Maher scrambling to tip the ball over his crossbar while a Flores free into the box late on caused all sorts of bother for Derry.
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