The reigning champions have lost back to back games, but have three games in hand

Linfield kept themselves in the title hunt with a second half fightback at Inver Park to win 2-1 and move to within two points of leaders Coleraine.

It was more second half woe for the reigning champions as they saw a lead wiped out for the second home match in four days, just like they did when they lead 2-0 against the Bannsiders on Friday.

This time Leroy Millar struck early to give them the lead, before Rhys Brennan levelled for David Healy's men and Ethan McGee won it late on.

The Invermen have now suffered back-to-back league defeats and even though they have three games in hand, the reigning champions must win them all to claw their way back into the title picture.

The home side were in trouble six minutes in when former Larne man Kobei Moore broke the offside trap and eventually worked the ball to the right side of the penalty area, but Aaron Donnelly put in an important block to deny Ethan McGee.

For all of Linfield's early dominance Larne had a huge chance of their own on 17 minutes.

Ronan Doherty swung in a left-footed cross from the right flank, which was met by the head of Leroy Millar 10 yards out but Chris Johns was equal to it, turning it around the post.

However, the former Ballymena man was not to be denied the opener for long and it arrived with 21 minutes on the clock.

Dylan Sloan was the architect as he went on a mazy run which took him past two Linfield players and when he was halted by a third, Paul O'Neill was hand to square the ball to Millar and slammed the ball into the top left corner.

Larne were really on top after the goal, with Dylan Sloan causing them all sorts of problems in particular.

The former Northern Ireland under-21 international almost made it 2-0 on 25 minutes, when skipper Tomas Cosgrove slipped him clear inside the box, but his effort came thundering back off the foot of Johns' left-hand post.

At the other end, Moore then came close to his fourth goal in as many games when he got to Kyle McClean's left-sided corner before goalkeeper Ferguson, but he nodded just wide of the post.

They Blues were level six minutes into the second half when Larne were found wanting defensively again.

From a free-kick close to the corner flank on the left wing Kyle McClean whipped in a cross which found Rhys Brennan completely free to nod in the equaliser.

Similarly to Larne's goal in the first half, Linfield's equaliser gave Healy's men the impetus to push on in search of a second as the piled on the pressure for the next 10 minutes.

Home boss Haveron reacted by adding the experience of Mark Randall into the action in an attempt to get a foothold in the game once more.

The closing quarter of the game was a much more even affair with the next goal always like to prove the difference between one point and three.

Linfield grabbed exactly that with nine minutes left on the clock, with another goal which will have been all too straightforward for Larne's liking.

Adam Frizzell's in-swinging corner from the right flank made it all the way to the back post where it was swept home by Ethan McGee.