UCD - 1 Shamrock Rovers - 2:National League: Noel Hunt emphasised further his worth to Shamrock Rovers on his return from injury with his eighth goal of the season as Liam Buckley's side continued their revival.
Just how Rovers made it four wins in succession was the mystery, however, as UCD, having fallen behind early on, utterly dominated much of the remainder of the game but just couldn't conjure up a goal they undoubtedly deserved before Tony Grant killed them off with Rovers' second strike 13 minutes from time.
Hunt's 17th minute goal, his fifth in his last six league games, was simplicity itself.
James Keddy, who had drifted into a central position from the left, got possession to thread a perfectly weighted ball between two defenders for the run of Hunt. The 20-year-old raced clear of the UCD offside to shoot past Barry Ryan.
Curiously, having taken the lead, Rovers stopped playing and UCD should have been level by half-time.
Ex-UCD defender Terry Palmer headed a Robert Doyle cross off his own crossbar following some sloppy defending while two chances fell to Sean Finn, with flicked headers wide from good deliveries by Pat Sullivan and Darragh Ryan.
UCD continued to press into the second half and were worth an equaliser that unfortunately for them never came.
Half-time substitute Alan Cawley was first up with a wasted opportunity within the first minute of the restart as he was slow in reacting to a superb cross by Finn and the ball struck him to trickle wide. Alan McNally then sent a powerful right foot shot narrowly wide as the Students upped the tempo again 12 minutes later.
The impressive Finn's quick feet cut Rovers open down the middle on the hour mark but the striker's well struck effort was over the top.
Rovers' frantic defending continued as Cawley, at the second attempt, picked out Tony McDonnell with a cross from the right with the midfielders goal bound shot cannon off Stephen McGuinness as Rovers were forced to defend frantically.
But the pace, of foot and mind, Rovers possess up front brought their second goal on the counterattack in the 77th minute.
UCD lost possession deep in Rovers' half and Keddy combined with Hunt, who flicked the ball through for Grant to shoot past Ryan from an acute angle for another fine finish.
McNally then did his best to provided a sting in the tail.
He drilled home a fine goal on 89 minutes, but his excellent 30-yard effort proved to be mere consolation, as his looping header in injury time came back off the Rovers' crossbar.
UCD: B Ryan; Mahon (Cawley half-time), Delaney, McAuley, Davey (O'Donnell 69 mins); Sullivan, McNally, McDonnell, D Ryan; Finn, Doyle.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello, Scully, Palmer (McGuinness half-time), Byrne (Gough 82 mins); S Grant, Colwell, Tracey (Deans 69 mins), Keddy; Hunt, A Grant.
Referee: J Feighery (Dublin) .
