Limerick come back to beat Kilkenny and win fourth All-Ireland in a row

James Cox

Limerick turned the game around in the second-half to win a fourth All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in a row with a nine-point victory and break Kilkenny hearts.

The final score was 2-15 to 0-30 in favour of the Treaty.

The Cats were the better team in the first-half and went in with a 1-09 to 0-9 lead.

Kilkenny came out flying and at times looked like they could pull away, however, Limerick grew into the game to prevent that from happening.

Eoin Cody scored the crucial goal for Kilkenny.

Kilkenny started the second half well with a second goal coming from Paddy Deegan, who literally broke the net with the force of his goal.

However, Limerick found another gear and really upped their game. After the goal, Limerick scored five points in a row to level the game.

Limerick outscored Kilkenny by 19-5 in the last half hour. Peter Casey scored five points from play to cap off a fine performance.

Diarmaid Byrnes was also a key man for Limerick as he scored eight points, including seven frees.

Cian Lynch lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup in the absence of the injured Declan Hannon, and he was also crucial for Limerick, especially in the closing stages of the first-half as they kept up with Kilkenny.

The win means John Kiely's side become just the fourth in history to complete a four-in-a-row.

Kilkenny's wait meanwhile to win back the Liam MacCarthy goes into a ninth year.