David Jeffrey acknowledges the Linfielf fans at the Oval

David Jeffrey said his Linfield players had shown two sides of their game in beating Cliftonville 2-1 in the Irish Cup semi-final at the Oval.

"One side was the quality of our football in the first half. We deserved to go in two up," said Jeffrey.

"The other was our doggedness and determination when we had to stand up and fight in the second half.

"Cliftonville got back into it and really pushed us as I knew they would. It was a tough game."

Cliftonville manager Eddie Patterson said his side had been guilty of conceding two poor goals.

"You cannot afford to give the champions a two-goal start," said Patterson.

"We had a couple of chances ourselves but did not take them and, in the end, maybe the best team went through.

"It is hard to take because it is our second year here in the semi-final and it has ended up in another defeat."