Shamrock Rovers exorcised the ghost of their League Cup final defeat to Cork City by leapfrogging Finn Harps to go third in the Premier Division table.
It was a fitting performance that brought Rovers to their highest placing of the season on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run in the league.
For their part, Finn Harps went home hopping mad after the controversial sending off of defender Gavin Dykes after 66 minutes for a second-bookable offence.
Dykes challenged Rovers' Derek Tracey and Cork referee, Tom Tully, consulted his linesman, Eddie Foley, before showing Dykes another yellow card followed by the red, despite his protest and a plea for leniency from Tracey.
It was Tully's second dubious decision of the game against Finn Harps after he awarded Rovers a penalty which saw them take the lead after 25 minutes.
Jonathan Minnock was deemed to have tripped Jason Colwell, and Marc Kenny sent Brian McKenna the wrong way from the spot.
Rovers had run the game up till then with Kenny and, in particularly, Tony Cousins coming close.
Finn Harps hadn't played for a fortnight and there was a sluggishness about them throughout the game while Rovers, keen to get Wednesday's defeat in Cork out of their system, were eager from the kick-off.
They should have gone 2-0 up on 39 minutes after a sweeping move up the right. Matt Britton found Jason Sherlock who crossed for Cousins.
Cousins did well to hold the ball up and lay it off for Tracey who wasted the chance as he shot straight at Mckenna.
There was no respite for Harps into the second-half and Cousins rushed a shot that flew well wide after Kenny's free-kick deflected to him on 47 minutes.
Five minutes later Rovers killed off the game with a second goal when Sherlock had all the time in the world to rise and head home Kenny's corner as the Harps defence stood and watched.
As if that was their belated wake-up call, Harps came out to play a little and should have got a goal back on the hour.
Rovers goalkeeper, Tony O'Dowd, initially made a fine tip over save from Paddy McGrenaghan while Jonathan Speak could only shoot wide when well placed at the back post from Eamonn Kavanagh's resultant corner.
Shamrock Rovers: O'Dowd; Britton, Brazil, Palmer, Dunne; Kenny, Colwell, Purdy, Tracey; Sherlock, Cousins. Subs: Markey for Sherlock (72 mins), Woods for Colwell (77 mins), Murray for Kenny (89 mins).
Finn Harps: McKenna; Vaudequin, Boyle, Dykes, Minnock; Mohan, O'Brien, Harkin, Kavanagh; Speak, Mulligan. Subs: McGrenaghan for O'Brien (55 mins), McHugh for Harkin (72 mins), McGettigan for Mulligan (79 mins.).
Referee: T Tully (Cork).
