opening spell Colin Walshe was outstanding on Bernard Brogan. He conceded the first free but didn't put a foot wrong after that.

IMPACT

What impact a jarring of his knee had at that stage is difficult to tell but within three minutes Dublin rammed in two goals through the same channel from Diarmuid Connolly and Brogan who also added a free in between.

Dublin's success stemmed from their tenacious attacking of Rory Beggan's kick-out. They won four in succession between the 25th and 29th minutes and from those came the scores and the cushion.

Monaghan manager Malachy O'Rourke was left to ponder what the best way to set up against them might be.

They opted not to challenge the vast majority of Dublin's kick-outs – they did win a couple in the secondof winning the game," added O'Rourke.

"It worked for a wee while but as the game wore on they just overpowered us."

Dublin may well have won this game by over 20 points but for spurning a sequence of second-half goal chances.

Connolly and substitute Cormac Costello both pulled shots to the left of the Monaghan posts when they might have moved closer or laid off, while Connolly was far too casual when Dick Clerkin was stripped of possession and Bernard and Alan Brogan combined to create the opening which Beggan got a touch too on 57 minutes.

It was arguably Dublin's best defensive display of the championship. Philly McMahon and James McCarthy had big games while Rory O'Carroll had a lot of success against Conor McManus, Monaghan's only real outlet.

McManus still