Dictating proceedings from start to finish, Donegal were full value for their 1-16 to 0-15 victory over Tyrone at Breffni Park.

The Anglo-Celt Cup holders, for whom Michael Murphy was immense, advance to the Ulster final in two weeks’ time, where they will face the winners of tomorrow’s replay between Armagh and Cavan, while last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists will feature prominently in Monday morning’s second-round Qualifier draw.

A goal and three points from the excellent Jamie Brennan helped Donegal power to a deserved 1-9 to 0-5 interval lead, the Division Two winners playing the game very much on their own terms before the break.

Brennan planted the ball in the bottom right corner of the Tyrone net after the Red Hands defence was carved open by a series of handpasses in the fourth minute and the No.12 followed up quickly with a point to make it 1-2 to 0-2.

Bit between his teeth, Brennan raised another white flag on eight minutes to cancel out a Hugh Pat McGeary effort, the mercurial Murphy having nonchalantly stroked over the victors’ opening point from a ‘45’ in between Tyrone points from Mattie Donnelly and Richard Donnelly.

In front of a crowd of 13,579, including Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman, who made a dash to Cavan from Copenhagen, the losers suffered another blow on ten minutes when Peter Harte was shown a black card for what was very harshly interpreted as a trip on Ryan McHugh and, seven minutes later, Declan Bonner’s men were decidedly unfortunate when a Brennan goal effort cannoned back off the right post following a delightful Patrick McBrearty pick-up and pass.

Murphy shrugged off his man to cancel out a Cathal MccShane effort as the goal continued to separate the sides with 15 minutes remaining in the opening period and there was a four-point swing in his team’s favour when Michael Langan dropped over a point to make it double scores after Shaun Patton, whose kick-outs were magnificent, had denied the marauding Brian Kennedy from close range with his right boot.

A tap-over Murphy free left five between the sides and Eoin McHugh calmly added to Donegal’s tally after Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan swept over a tidy free. Patton got down well to deny Richard Donnelly after Brennan added to his tally in stoppage time, Murphy gathering an Eoghan Ban Gallagher delivery to swivel and point off his left foot, bringing an end to what was a very satisfactory first half’s work from the Donegal men.

Tyrone pair McShane (free) and Kieran McGeary registered the only two points in the first 13 minutes of the second half, Morgan executing a bread-and-butter save to deny substitute Ciaran Thompson a second Donegal goal before Murphy’s 49th-minute free from the hands made it 1-10 to 0-7.

Ryan McHugh and McBrearty added to the winning tally following an exchange of frees between McBrearty and McShane, substitute Darren McCurry and McShane (free) retorting as five points separated the teams with an hour played.

McBrearty’s classy point from the left wing on the run nudged Donegal six clear with eight minutes left, Hugh McFadden cancelling out a Morgan ‘45’ by pointing with aplomb at the end of a flowing Donegal move that covered nearly every blade of grass on the pitch.

McCurry, Richard Donnelly and wing back Michael Cassidy – whose blistering shot on 75 minutes blazed inches over the black spot – mustered injury-time consolations but, aided by a reply from Stephen McMenamin, Donegal held on for a deserved victory.

Donegal - S Patton; P McGrath, N McGee, S McMenamin (0-1); R McHugh (0-1), L McLoone, E Ban Gallagher; H McFadden (0-1), J McGee; E McHugh (0-1), M Murphy (0-5, 2f, 1'45), N O’Donnell; P McBrearty (0-3, 1f), M Langan (0-1), J Brennan (1-3). Subs: C Thompson for J McGee, D O’Baoill for E McHugh, F McGlynn for L McLoone, O Gallen for N O’Donnell, P Brennan for J Brennan.

Tyrone - N Morgan (0-2, 1f, 1‘45); M McKernan, R McNamee, P Hampsey; T McCann, B McDonnell, B Kennedy; K McGeary (0-2), L Rafferty; C Cavanagh, R Donnelly (0-3), M Donnelly (0-1); P Harte, F Burns, C McShane (0-3, 2f). Subs: C McAliskey for P Harte (BC), R Brennan for L Rafferty, N Sludden for C Cavanagh, D McCurry (0-3, 1f) for B McDonnell, M Cassidy (0-1) for F Burns, A McCrory for T McCann.

Referee - D Gough.

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