Shamrock Rovers took a giant step towards the Setanta Sports Cup final with a 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers on Monday night.
Michael O'Neill had demanded a quick response following Rovers shock defeat to Bray Wanderers in the Airtricity League last week and he got the reaction he wanted as the Hoops got the better of Sligo at the Showgrounds.
The Hoops took the lead through Ronan Finn before half-time and victory was wrapped up with Karl Sheppard's header on the hour-mark as Sligo fell apart in front of their home supporters.
O'Neill made a number of changes to his side following the Bray loss and buoyed on by the manager's words, the visitors took control right from the start, denying their hosts any genuine chance.
However, the Hoops themselves struggled to create any opportunities until the 27th minute when Finn fired from 25 yards to leave Brendan Clarke with no chance of pulling off the save.
Sligo fell apart after the break as Rovers went in search of a second goal and it finally arrived in the 58th minute when Sheppard headed Pat Sullivan's cross into Clarke's goal.
The home side could have gone further behind had it not been for some brilliant goalkeeping from Clarke, but the night went from bad to worse for Sligo as John Russell was shown a straight red card for a foul on Sullivan 16 minutes from time.