While their chief title rivals were making a meal of things across the capital, Derry made mincemeat out of UCD to stay top.
The Candystripes scored twice in each half to secure a priceless six-point haul from their Dublin double whammy over the last four days.
Derry - without manager Ruaidhri Higgins who was attending his brother’s funeral - were at pains to play down the significance of Friday’s win away to Shamrock Rovers.
They knew they had to follow up here at Belfield to make it an away day double-header of real value.
Not only did they do that - courtesy of Jordan McEneff’s brace, an Ollie O’Neill tap in after a goalkeeping howler and an OG - but the Hoops then slipped up against Cork.
Derry’s travelling contingent had enough to sing about anyway, but they cheered the updates from Tallaght as Cork’s goals rained in.
With the temperatures plummeting, Derry didn’t hang around and laid solid foundations early on to ensure a night of minimum fuss.
McEneff has made a blinding start to the season, leading the league’s scoring charts with four early goals.
He had the swagger of a man who meant business here - and didn’t disappoint as UCD suffered their second 4-0 defeat running.
He set Ryan Graydon free in the 15th minute and UCD goalkeeper Lorcan Healy saved the winger’s shot with his legs.
But McEneff latched onto the loose ball and after shuffling onto his right, curled a sensational ball to the top corner from the edge of the box.
The former Arsenal man was only warming up as he stated his case for a more prominent role with the Candystrips this season.
McEneff - who scored Derry’s fourth goal in the FAI Cup final win over Shels - was a menace in the hole.
The visitors dominated throughout and restricted UCD to scraps. They struggled to penetrate and Derry goalkeeper Brian Maher was a bystander.
And Derry doubled their lead all too easily, four minutes before the break with McEneff applying a different type of finish - but just as classy.
Brandon Kavanagh threaded a ball in behind centre-back Harvey O’Brien.
And while Healy raced off his line, McEneff toe-poked the ball to the keeper’s left and ran the other side of him before slotting home to the empty net.
UCD had a bit more about them after the break but Derry’s job was already done.
College skipper Jack Keaney saw a header saved from a Ciaran Behan free, while Keaney then blazed over the bar after Donal Higgins was brought down.
But while Cian Kavanagh should have scored from close range, sub Ollie O’Neill did just that a minute after coming off the bench.
He beat Higgins for speed but Healy was off his line to smother with a routine save that he would comfortably make 99 times out of 100.
Well, not this time.
How he let the ball wriggle through his grasp is anyone’s guess but O’Neill - on loan from Fulham - stayed alert and read the situation to tap into the empty net.
To compound UCD’s they conceded a fourth late on when Will Patching’s free clipped defender Evan Osam to deceive Healy.
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