A scintillating first-half display, embellished by two delightful goals, was enough to beat UCD at Tolka Park last night and lift Shamrock Rovers back up to fourth place in the Premier Division table.

Rovers, who hadn't won in four games, began positively and could have been ahead after just two minutes. Their captain, Paul Whelan, got a firm downward header to Marc Kenny's corner, only for UCD goalkeeper Seamus Kelly to clear off the line with his right foot.

Tony Cousins then almost added to his tally of nine goals eight minutes later when his diving header from another Kenny corner flew wide across goal.

UCD came into the game for a good 10-minute spell, but were soon rocked back on their heels by Rovers' excellent opening goal on 29 minutes. Matt Britton played a one-two with Derek Tracey to whip over a superb cross from the right; Kelly, under pressure from Cousins, could only knock the ball as far as Kenny who drove it into the net from 16 yards.

It was 2-0 10 minutes later with another delightfully contrived goal. Tracey burst forward from midfield, exchanged passes with Sean Francis to put himself through on goal and then flicked the ball past Kelly with the outside of his right foot.

Kelly's crossbar then came to his rescue in first-half injury time to deprive Kenny a second goal from a crisp, 25-yard free-kick.

As they had been last week, UCD were a different side in the second half and chased the game hard, though to no tangible reward.

Ciaran Kavanagh sliced a good opening wide after Robert Griffin had headed down a fine cross from substitute John Martin on 65 minutes.

Two minutes later Rovers goalkeeper, Robbie Forde, was grateful that Ken Kilmurray's header from Kavanagh's cross flew straight into his arms.

Late on, Forde was called on to make saves from Aidan Lynch and then Damien Bolger, but Cousins wasted the clearest chance of the second-half at the other end three minutes from time when he shamefully shot wide across goal having been played through by Mark O'Neill.