All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals: Kerry 2-25 Tyrone 0-27Anyone of the view that Kerry would steamroll Tyrone and leave them as roadkill on the path to retaining their All-Ireland was disabused of the notion at Croke Park on Saturday before a double bill attendance of 48,735.It was a thoroughly vital contest with Malachy O’Rourke’s outsiders competing all the way down the stretch but the champions displayed their mettle by never losing composure and sniping scores efficiently and in timely fashion so that Tyrone nearly grasped the initiative, but it always just escaped their grasp.As ever, David Clifford was front and centre of the champions’ victory, scoring 1-8 – the goal a supreme piece of finishing – to set the tempo for the champions’ first half.He would go on to shoot eight points and provide the assist in the last minute for replacement Armin Heinrich to score the goal that wrapped it up for Kerry and hand their opponents a four-point defeat, which could almost have been challenged in the defamation courts.A win is a win though and Jack O’Connor will have been very pleased to have weathered so stern a challenge and meet it without panic or loss of composure.He will also be gratified that the full panel is coming together at just the right time. Before the start, Brian Ó Beaglaoich was withdrawn with a back spasm and Gavin White took his place. On the subs’ bench, he was replaced by Tom O’Sullivan, the last of the front liners to return after long-term injury.White was a welcome addition and his searing, pacy runs were incisive and hard to contain.Tyrone’s Kieran McGeary and Paul Geaney of Kerry. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Goalkeeper Shane Murphy had a good afternoon. His kickouts were on the button with a three-quarters retention rate and he blocked well from Ronan Cassidy in the 47th minute.The attack was excellent with a conversion rate of over 70 per cent. Aside from Clifford and his brother Paudie, who also had a fine match, Dylan Geaney confirmed his growing status as an elite forward even in that company with the man of the match award for an exhibition of shooting – 0-8 from play, including two two-pointers.Had Tyrone made it over the line, there would have been little debate over their most valuable performer. For a second match, former All Star Darren McCurry came off the bench and shot the lights out as his team chased the verdict.Six against Mayo and on Saturday 0-10 in the 26 minutes he was on the field. Two two-point frees and four from play with no wides, the haul was testament to astonishing form but not even he could conjure the desired outcome.Kerry navigated a spirited first half from their opponents to lead by two at the break, 1-11 to 0-12. As usual, the easiest definition of the difference between the teams was David Clifford whose running total is 1-4. The goal came in the 20th minute and was heart breaking for the defence who had dispossessed Gavin White on a dangerous run but the breaking ball was snapped up by Clifford, who then rode two tackles before finishing to the net.Ethan Jordan’s immediate two-point riposte was typically feisty but untypically accurate, as his team-mates were a bit wild in their shooting and flustered in their shot selection.Last year, an unanswered nine-point burst in the third quarter turned the match from a one-point cliffhanger into a 10-point procession but Tyrone weren’t for flattening this time and by the final quarter there was only one point in it.Tyrone’s Darren McCurry celebrates kicking a two-point free. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho An early goal chance on the resumption was snuffed out by Jason Foley’s interception of a ball heading for Ronan Cassidy. At the other end, Joe O’Connor was nearly in for a goal but Seán O’Donnell managed to relieve the situation.The older Tyrone players led the charge. Conn Kilpatrick was endlessly energetic around the middle and as usual both came in for and dished some hard knocks. Mattie Donnelly was a constant threat knitting together attacks and shooting accurately for 0-3.McCurry subsequently added to the impact. They were lucky in the 49th minute to escape leniently after Dylan Geaney and Seán O’Shea, again introduced from the bench, combined but the final ball across the now empty net was just beyond the former’s reach and it came to nothing.Eoin McElholm did everything right in the 52nd minute but his shot cannoned off the bar and over for a point to cut the deficit to just one, 0-19 to 1-17.But Kerry had enough firepower to keep going whereas Tyrone misfired occasionally. Niall Morgan uncharacteristically sent a 45 wide but the champions were relentless. David Clifford always seemed able to slip in and fist a point here or lay off a ball there.Paudie Clifford kicked a 65th-minute 45 that video review suggested should have been a wide but McCurry hit back. There was just a point in it in the last minute but Tyrone couldn’t lay hands on the ball and it ended up in the hands of David Clifford.Tyrone would have known the game was up at that point even without the gilding of the lily that followed in the remaining seconds. Kerry will know their semi-final opponents on Sunday but they could retain their title without being pushed as hard as they were here.Kerry: S Murphy; P Murphy, J Foley, D Casey; B Ó Beaglaoich, M Breen, G O’Sullivan; M O’Shea. S O’Brien; J O’Connor, P Clifford (0-1-3, 1 tpf, 1 45), D O’Connor (0-0-1); D Clifford (1-1-6, 1tpf, 1f), P Geaney (0-0-3, 1f), D Geaney (0-2-4).Subs: S O’Shea for P Geaney (47 mins), K Evans for O’Brien (56 mins), E Looney for P Murphy (57 mins), A Heinrich (1-0-0) for O’Sullivan (60 mins), T Morley for Breen (67 mins), K Spillane for D Geaney (68 mins).Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn, P Teague, J Clarke; M McKernan (0-0-1), N Devlin, K McGeary (0-1-0); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick (0-1-0); S O’Donnell (0-0-1), R Cassidy (0-0-1), C Daly; E McElholm (0-0-3), M Donnelly (0-0-3), E Jordan (0-1-2, 1f).Subs: D McCurry (0-2-6, 2tpf, 2f) for Daly (44 mins), C Bogue for Jordan (56 mins), F Burns for McGeary (59 mins), C O’Neill for Cassidy (66 mins).Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon).