A rousing closing burst from Kerry - during which they outscored Monaghan by 0-6 to 0-1 - maintained the Kingdom’s unbeaten league run.
Trailing by 0-12 to 0-11 with 50 minutes run on the clock, the hosts registered six of the game’s last seven scores to secure their fifth win of the league.
Sub Tómás Ó Sé was responsible for getting them back level, winning the free which O’Shea duly converted. From there, Stephen O’Brien nudged the hosts back in front for only the second time in proceedings and they were two clear after Dara Moynihan finished a move which stemmed from a Monaghan restart fielded by Gavin O’Brien.
Colin Walshe momentarily stemmed the tide, but the winners finished in a blaze of glory, with a brace from Sean O’Shea (free and a glorious sideline) sandwiching Tom O’Sullivan’s second.
Kerry were back level at 0-9 apiece four minutes into the second period thanks to an O’Shea free and a Tommy Walsh mark. Crucially, though, Peter Keane’s charges were unable to find that lead score. A pair of McMcManus frees sandwiched yet another Walsh mark and Monaghan were again two clear when Darren Hughes blazed over a goal chance.
#AllianzLeagues Football Division 1 Table after Round 5.
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Mayo 0-12 v 1-11 Galway
Tyrone 1-15 v 0-09 Cavan
Roscommon 1-12 v 2-14 Dublin
Kerry 0-17 v 0-13 Monaghan
All to play for, at both ends.#Cavan #Dublin #Galway #Kerry #Mayo #Monaghan #Roscommon #Tyrone #gaaleaguetables pic.twitter.com/VfH90eDKJA
That score arrived in the 49th minute and the visitors would not add to their tally again until the 67th minute, by which juncture they found themselves one behind both on the scoreboard and in personnel as Darren Hughes walked after receiving a black card to go with his earlier yellow.
Monaghan led 0-9 to 0-7 at the break, Farney talisman Conor McManus accounting for 0-6 of their total. The three-time All Star converted four first-half frees and also stroked over a mark won directly in front of Shane Ryan’s goal. Stephen O’Hanlon was also causing plenty of bother in the Monaghan full-forward line and he was fouled for one of the frees which McManus slotted between the posts.
The visitors were led only once in the opening period and managed to hold a two-point interval lead despite going scoreless for 15 minutes. Kerry’s barren spell, mind you, ran longer as Tommy Walsh’s 21st-minute point was their last of the half.
Walsh’s second of the afternoon, to bring the hosts level at 0-7 apiece, was Kerry’s third in as many minutes and represented their most productive period of the opening half.
A McManus free may have followed this mini Kerry burst, but the Kingdom continued to enjoy the upper hand in the ensuing passages. They failed, however, to translate this dominance onto the scoreboard. Thrice they were turned over inside the Monaghan 45-metre line, while there was also wides from Tom O’Sullivan, Sean O’Shea and Walsh. No such problems did they encounter at the end of the second-half.
Scorers for Kerry: S O’Shea (0-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 sc); T Walsh (0-4, 0-3 marks); T O’Sullivan, S O’Brien (0-2 each).
Scorers for Monaghan: C McManus (0-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 mark); C Walshe, D Hughes, G Doogan, S O’Hanlon, C McCarthy (0-1 each).
Kerry: S Ryan; B Ó Beaglaíoch, P Crowley, J Sherwood; G Crowley, P Murphy, T O’Sullivan; J Barry, M Griffin; D Moynihan, S O’Shea, G O’Brien; K McCarthy, T Walsh, S O’Brien.
Subs: M Geaney for McCarthy (HT); S Enright for Griffin (52); G O’Sullivan for Ó Beaglaíoch (56); T Ó Sé for Sherwood (59 mins, inj); J Foley for G Crowley (71)
Monaghan: R Beggan; R Wylie, D Wylie, C Walshe; K O’Connell, V Corey, C Lennon; D Hughes, G Doogan; D Ward, D Malone, R McAnespie; C McCarthy, C McManus, S O’Hanlon.
Subs: D Mone for Lennon (44 mins); O Duffy for D Ward (61); J McCarron for O’Hanlon (64); B McGinn for Malone (70).
Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).