Paddy Andrews, Diarmuid Connolly and Dean Rock finally got Dublin over the line at Croke Park in a game played in sodden conditions that made the most basic skills of the game complicated.

With just a point to their name from six games, Brian McIver's side are relegated with a game to spare, less than 12 months on from contesting the Division 1 league final against the same opposition.

In fact Dublin were not much better than their visitors. They trailed Derry 0-3 to 0-2 at the break, but crucially they hit Derry on the break late on for the key scores and finally discovered how to break through their blanket defence.

Dublin enjoyed a lot of possession in the opening minutes but by the eighth minute they had shot three poor wides with Ciaran Kilkenny, Michael Darragh MacAuley and Connolly the culprits.

MacAuley redeemed himself in the 12th minute as he fisted over the first point of the game. This was the midfielder's first appearance of the season after recovering from injury and he exchanged passes with Paul Flynn to get Dublin off the mark.

Derry responded straight from the kick-out as Mark Lynch emulated his opposite number by splitting the posts from distance.

The visitors could have had a goal two minute later as Benny Heron forced a save from Stephen Cluxton. The corner-forward was surrounded by four defenders but managed to poke a shot towards goal which was blocked out for a '45 by Cluxton.

Heron notched Derry's second point of the contest from the resulting '45 to make it 0-2 to 0-1 after 15 minutes. James Kielt kicked a long-range free in the 25th minute to put Derry two points to the good as their defence held firm making it difficult for the Dublin forwards to find space.

Connolly produced the moment of the first half on the stroke of half time as he blasted the ball over the bar for Dublin's second point. The St Vincent's man scored from over 50 metres to bypass Derry's blanket defence.

That point made it 0-3 to 0-2 as the teams went in to a chorus of boos at half-time.

Cormac Costello was introduced at the interval and he scored the first point of the second half via Hawkeye in the 39th minute.

This levelled the game as Dublin looked to take control. Dean Rock opened his account in the 47th minute from a free to put Dublin ahead.

Enda Lynn scored a brilliant equaliser for Derry in the 59th minute. This was the visitors' first score since Kielt's first half free. Lynn combined well with substitute Fergal Doherty to score.

Dublin scored four points in the last seven minutes as Derry were stretched. They made a number of mistakes late on and Dublin punished them through Rock (2), substitute Paddy Andrews and Connolly.

Scorers - Dublin: D Rock 0-3 (2f), D Connolly 0-2, M MacAuley 0-1, C Costello 0-1, P Andrews 0-1.

Derry: M Lynch 0-1, B Heron 0-1 ('45), J Kielt 0-1 (f), E Lynn 0-1

Dublin: S Cluxton; P McMahon, R O'Carroll, E Culligan (David Byrne 41); J Cooper, J Small, J McCaffrey; M MacAuley (B Fenton 53), T Brady (J McCarthy 41); P Flynn, D Connolly, C Kilkenny (P Andrews 51); K McManamon (C Costello h-t), D Rock, B Brogan (Davey Byrne 70).

Derry: T Mallon; O Duffy, N Holly, K Johnston; L McGoldrick (E McNicholl 68), C McAtamney, M McIver (D McKinless 51); M Lynch, E Bradley (F Doherty 47); S McGoldrick, D Heavron, E Lynn; B Heron, E McGuckin (T O'Brien 47), J Kielt (C McFaul 47).

Referee: C Lane (Cork).