Waterford FC's winning streak has come to an end thanks to a Sean Boyd goal at Tolka Park, which gave league leaders Shelbourne a 1-0 victory over the Blues.
Waterford came into the tie after having won their last three games in the league, with the most recent game against Dundalk at home, where they won 4-1.
Despite having the best away form in the League of Ireland Premier Division, Shelbourne were going to be no easy opponent. Damien Duff's side came into the clash top of the table and has been consistently dependable in defence this season.
The first half's opening minutes saw a dominant Shelbourne side take the game to the Blues. Despite a number of great opportunities Sam Sargeant produced two incredible saves in the first 10 minutes.
It wasn't until the 19th minute that Waterford would have their first proper chance on goal. Dean McMenamy ran down the right wing and drilled a low cross into Pádraig Amond at the near post. The Carlow man wasn't able to convert the chance, but the Blues really came into their own following that attack.
Waterford's defence was on fine form throughout the whole game, with Power and McDonald, in particular, producing some crucial tackles and blocks. The biggest moment of the half fell to Shelbourne in the 36th minute when Sam Sargeant failed to claim a long ball into the box from Shelbourne. Luckily for the Blues, Shelbourne's Matty Smith was unable to convert into an open goal.
The opening 15 minutes of the second half didn't have much to write home about. Shelbourne's comfort on the ball and ability to pass quickly and accurately under pressure showed why they were top of the league. Tricky footwork from Will Jarvis almost created a few great chances for the home side.
Maleace Asamoah showed signs of brilliance, similar to what we saw in last weeks game against Dundalk. His dribbling ability on the ball, like Jarvis, allowed the English forward to create a chance in the 59th minute, however, it went comfortably wide of the right post.
Sam Sargeant was the real hero for the Blues as from between the 65th and 67th minute there two chances from both Will Jarvis and Mark Coyle that required quick reactions to make sure they didn't find the back of the net.
It wasn't all Shelbourne chances in the second half as in the 68th minute Connor Parsons was able to fire off a powerful shot that required Shelbourne goalkeeper Conor Kearns to make a save.
Despite Sargeant's great performance in goal Sean Boyd broke the deadlock in the 71st minute. A low ball into the box saw Boyd control the ball and calmly slot it into the bottom right hand corner.
A controversial decision in the 85th minute to not award a penalty to Waterford after Asamoah was taken down in the box meant the game stayed 1-0.
Substitute Gbemi Kingslyn Arubi had an amazing chance to level the game in the 87th minute as the ball was whipped into the box. Despite being in a great position he just angled the header that meant it went over the bar.
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