Tyrone upset the odds to send Kerry packing this evening at Croke Park with a 3-14 to 0-22 extra time victory to move into the All-Ireland senior football championship final.

Goals from Conor McKenna (2) and Cathal McShane worked the oracle for the Red Hands in this semi-final which very much turned into a war of attrition at headquarters.

Having seen this game twice postponed as a result of a Covid-19 outbreak within the Ulster champions’ camp, the teams were dead even on 0-5 apiece after 24 minutes when McKenna hammered in Tyrone’s first goal.

Kerry battled back through the scores of marksmen David Clifford and Sean O’Shea – the Kingdom’s only two scorers in the first-half – to draw level before Tyrone ‘keeper Niall Morgan landed the score of this year’s championship from a 70-metre free that left it at 1-7 to 0-9 for the break.

Peter Keane's men outscored their opponents by 0-5 to 0-2 after the turnaround to lead by two at the second-half water break and that margin stood when McShane palmed in Tyrone’s second goal a minute into injury-time.

With eight more minutes added on, the Munster champions were able to draw level twice to force extra time, as the full-time score read 0-17 to 2-11, but they’d have to do without cramped talisman Clifford for the extra periods.

McKenna struck goal number three for the Red Hands early in extra time and it provided a hammer blow to the favourites that left them chasing a lead vigorously protected by their counterparts.

The margin would be down to one in the dying stages when Kerry sub Tommy Walsh had a last-gasp effort drop wide, securing Tyrone’s victory by the minimum and a first ever All-Ireland final date with Mayo the Saturday after next.

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