Donegal sent neighbours Tyrone closer to the relegation trapdoor with a comfortable ten-point victory at Ballybofey, 1-13 to 0-6.

The winners led from the first minute to the last and the outcome of the match was never really in any doubt from the moment Michael Murphy opened the scoring with a point from play.

Murphy added a third-minute pointed free and Martin O'Reilly contributed the hosts' third point after Darren McCurry (free) had opened the Red Hands' account.

Full back Neil McGee helped himself to a point and Tyrone were briefly back within the minimum at the end of the first quarter thanks to Ronan O'Neill and Conor McAlliskey (free), 0-4 to 0-3. That was as good as it got for them...

A Martin McElhinney point was followed by three Murphy frees before Ryan McHugh gathered possession after the ball rebounded off a post and drilled to the net to make it 1-8 to 0-3 after 31 minutes. Game over!

Odhran MacNiallais closed the first-half scoring with an injury-time effort and the Tir Chonail men led by nine at the break.

Even with the wind at their backs in the second half and the presence on the field of half-time substitute Sean Cavanagh there was no way back for Mickey Harte's men, who now host All-Ireland champions Kerry in Omagh next Sunday in a relegation showdown to determine who makes the drop to Division Two.

Donegal - M Boyle; E Doherty, N McGee (0-1), E McGee; F McGlynn (0-1), K Lacey, R McHugh (1-1); N Gallagher, C Toye; M O'Reilly, O MacNiallais (0-1), M McElhinney (0-2); P McBrearty (0-1), M Murphy (0-6, 5f), H McFadden. Subs: C McFadden for N Gallagher, A Thompson for M Murphy (BC), D McLaughlin for M McElhinney (BC), M McHugh for R McHugh, G McFadden for N McGee, D Walsh for M O'Reilly.

Tyrone - N Morgan; A McCrory, R McNamee, C McCarron; R McNabb, J McMahon, P Harte (0-2, 1f); C Cavanagh, P McNulty; T McCann, Mattie Donnelly, R O'Neill (0-1); D McCurry (0-1f), C Clarke, C McAlliskey (0-1f). Subs: S Fox for N Morgan, S Cavanagh (0-1f) for R O'Neill, PJ Lavery for C McAlliskey, C McCann for P McNulty, R McKenna for C Clarke, P Hughes for C Cavanagh.

Referee - J McQuillan.

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