Drogheda United 0 Linfield 1
Aidan O'Kane scored the only goal of the match as Linfield won the battle of the previous two winners of the Setanta Sports Cup before a packed United Park.
It went wrong for Drogheda from the start when striker Shane Barrett was taken off on a stretcher after just three minutes.
The only goal of the game arrived on the half hour when a mistake by Drogheda defender Brian Shelley gifted the ball to Steven Douglas who set up O'Kane to shoot home.
Graham Gartland did have the ball in the Linfield net midway through the second half but was clearly offide.