Dublin City 0 Shamrock Rovers 4A Stephen Grant hat-trick, with a fourth goal in between from strike Partner Dave Mooney, and all within 22 second-half minutes, left Dublin City utterly dumbfounded and still rooted to the bottom of the table.

Dublin City dominated the first half and wouldn't have been flattered to have been a couple of goals up at the break; their front two of Gary O'Neill and, in particular, Philip Hughes causing Rovers all sorts of problem.

Noel Mooney had to dive full length to push away a Hughes shot in the 27th minute. But the game turned on 48 minutes when Rovers' defender Trevor Croly bravely blocked a follow-up from Don Tierney after a deflected cross had come back off a post.

Three minutes later Grant opened the scoring with a stunning 25 yards shot.

The game was all but over within a further four minutes as Grant was left unattended at the back post to add the second; stabbing home a Keith O'Halloran cross.

Grant then made the third on 71 minutes to give Mooney a simple tap-in after again breaching the Dublin City offside trap.

The hat-trick came two minutes later when again Grant got in behind a square defence to confidently shoot past Brendan Kennedy.

DUBLIN CITY: Kennedy; Ennis (A. O'Connor, 64 mins.) Whelehan, Byrne, Foy (Deans, 64 mins); C O'Connor, Tierney, Colwell, Brennan (McGill, 86 mins.); Hughes, O'Neill.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: N Mooney; Croly, McGuinness, Palmer, Gough; Robinson (McArdle, 88 mins.), O'Halloran, McDonnell (Deans, 78 mins.), Rutherford (Drew, 78 mins); D Mooney, Grant.

Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).