SHAMROCK ROVERS collected another red that might have left the champions feeling blue were it not for Aaron Greene’s double.
A week after seeing three of their players sent off in Cork, skipper Ronan Finn received his marching orders here - Rovers seventh dismissal of the season.
But while Stephen Bradley let rip on match officials in Turner’s Cross, there were no complaints here as Finn was last man back when he chopped down Rayhaan Tulloch.
READ MORE: Stephen Bradley considered quitting management after Turner's Cross chants about his son
It was only three minutes into the second-half at that point and Dundalk, trailing to Greene’s first-half opener, had all the incentive they needed to rescue the game.
Instead, they retreated into their shell and looked on helplessly as Rory Gaffney and Greene let rip on their rearguard.
And Greene’s second, just after the hour after Gaffney teed him up, was enough to send Rovers back on top of the league, leapfrogging Derry City by a point.
With former Rovers players Gavin Bazunu and Aidomo Emakhu looking on from the stands, it was just the tonic for Rovers after losing their previous two games.
But Dundalk, whose late flurry of attacks was too little too late, slump to a second defeat on the spin and are without a win in their last four games.
Were it not for goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd’s two vital saves in the first-half, they would have shipped an ever heavier defeat here in Tallaght.
Still, Stephen O’Donnell’s men didn’t hang about in the early stages but Archie Davies’ squandered a free header into the ground from a corner.
A lead goal - and an early one at that - may have changed the complexion of things but Rovers were ruthless when it mattered.
Jack Byrne, knitting the play nicely throughout that opening half, also tested Shepperd but his connection wasn’t clean and the ‘keeper gathered easily.
But the Welshman earned his crust with two quick-fire saves that prevented certain goals for the champions with Greene and Marcus Poom denied.
In the setting sunshine, Hayden Muller lost sight of Gaffney’s ball over the top and Greene was through, only to have the ball pinched off his toes by Shepperd.
And Shepperd then denied Poom at point blank range, spreading himself well to deny the Estonian international.
But Rovers, who survived a glancing Greg Sloggett header, were dialling up the pressure and duly got their reward 11 minutes before the break.
Finn fired in a low, hard ball to the near post. Greene connected but, from two yards, his shot was about to veer wide until it clipped Shepperd’s leg and nestled in the net.
But Dundalk received a timely boost three minutes into the second-half - or so they thought.
Hoops skipper Finn saw red for hauling down Tulloch after the Dundalk flyer latched onto a stray Roberto Lopes ball and raced towards goal.
Finn hunted him down but was always losing the battle against the speedster and mistimed the lunge on the edge of the box.
Whatever gripes the champions had at the red card masacre on Leeside a week ago, they could have none this time. Finn certainly knew what was coming - and walked.
And from the resulting free-kick, Darragh Leahy had Leon Pohls at full stretch but the free-kick just fizzed a fraction wide of the German’s far post.
But Dundalk’s hopes of a revival were snuffed out in the 62nd minute when Gaffney and Greene combined in devastating fashion.
Gaffney set his team-mate free and Greene burned Paul Doyle for pace. For the second time in the game, he tried to round Sheppered - and this time got his way.
On a rare start, he slammed the ball home to cap a man-of-the-match performance and Shepperd then denied him his hat-trick after another ball over the top.
Dundalk were in a tailspin but recovered to mount a late charge and spent the latter stages of the game camped in the Hoops final third.
Keith Ward blazed over the bar and then saw Dan Cleary hack another effort off the line, while Pohls produced a good save to deny Tulloch.
A Gary O’Neill push on Tulloch had Dundalk appealing for a penalty but, like much of their play, the late frenzy lacked conviction.
It was all too little, too late as Rovers reclaimed top spot.
ENDS
SHAMROCK ROVERS
Leon Pohls 7
Dan Cleary 7
Roberto Lopes 7
Lee Grace 7
Ronan Finn 6
Gary O’Neill 7
Marcus Poom 7
Sean Kavanagh 6
Jack Byrne 7
Aaron Greene 8
Rory Gaffney 8
Subs: Gannon (for Kavanagh, 64), Burt (for Byrne, 75), Nugent (for Gaffney 76), Cruise (for Greene 87)
Subs not used: Leitis, Burke, Ferizaj, Tetteh, Noonan.
DUNDALK
Nathan Shepperd 7
Archie Davies 5
Hayden Muller 5
Andy Boyle 6
Darragh Leahy 6
Greg Sloggett 6
Paul Doyle 5
Connor Malley 6
Daniel Kelly 5
Rayhaan Tulloch 7
Pat Hoban 6
Subs: Lewis (for Sloggett, 64), Ward (for Doyle, 64), Elliott (for Muller, 71), O’Kane (for Kelly, 71).
Subs not used: Annesley, Martin, Cherrie, Yli-Kokko, Williams.
Referee: P McLaughlin
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