WATERFORD UNTIED...3 CORK CITY...0:A whirlwind start by Waterford United stunned Cork City at the RSC last night and had a devastating effect on their Munster rivals who, to date, have not been so comprehensively beaten in the campaign.

Waterford opened the scoring as early as the second minute when Kevin Waters dispossessed Neal Horgan and released the ball to man-of-the-match Wayne Fitzgerald in the middle of the field.

With the Cork defence back-tracking, Fitzgerald jinked into the area and beat goalkeeper Michael Devine with a superb low shot from 16 yards that ended up in the far corner of the net.

Less than three minutes later, Waterford knocked City back on their heels when they scored a second goal.

Darryl Murphy passed the ball back from the end line to Kevin O'Brien and, from six yards, he unleashed an unstoppable, angled shot that rattled the far stanchion.

United should have scored a third goal in the 10th minute when Neal Fenn dummied an O'Brien cross from the right but Murphy, with the goal at his mercy, shot weakly into the arms of Devine from 12 yards.

Despite the dreadful start, City recovered somewhat as the first half progressed and Denis Behan, Colin T O'Brien and Dan Murray all had chances but they just couldn't unhinge the home defence.

Waterford were particularly wasteful in the opening stages of the second half, with Murphy and Mark Clifford missing absolute sitters from close range while Fenn and O'Brien went within a whisker of adding to the home side's tally with superb long range efforts.

United finally put the game beyond shattered City's reach in the 70th minute.

Fenn dispossessed Dan Murray 15 yards out from goal and then fired a blistering shot into the corner of the net off Devine.

WATERFORD UNITED: Connor, Leahy, Frost, Breen, Mulcahy, O'Brien, Fitzgerald (Reilly, 80 minutes), Clifford, Waters, Fenn, Murphy (Sullivan, 86 minutes). Subs not used: McLoughlin, Hayes, Holden.

CORK CITY: Devine, Coughlan, Murray, CT O'Brien, O'Halloran, O'Callaghan, Woods, Doyle, Behan (CP O'Brien, 74 minutes), Horgan (Nwankwo, 64 minutes), Carney (O'Grady, 34 minutes). Subs not used: Bennett, Nolan.

Referee: Paul Tuite (Dublin).