Despite dominating possession from the first whistle, Ukraine were twice caught out by the visitors in a frustrating first half for Andrea Maldera’s side.
Northern Ireland’s opener can only be described as scrappy, but Ciaron Brown didn’t care as he grabbed his first international goal, scrambling home via the post following a deep corner inside the opening 10 minutes.
In contrast, their second - which came midway through the half - was a thing of beauty, and also came at an opportune time as Ukraine were starting to build up some steam.
Kieran Morrison’s dangerous first-time cross was begging to be attacked, and Isaac Price obliged, timing his run perfectly to plant a perfect header beyond Dmytro Riznyk.
Ukraine looked for a response before the interval, and Eduard Sarapiy went closest to halving the arrears with a long-range strike that looked destined for the top corner, only for Pierce Charles to deny him with a fingertip save.
The game’s pattern continued after the break, with Ukraine bossing the tempo only to get caught out at the other end once more as Brown doubled his tally.
Much like his first effort, the second owed a lot to comical defending as Riznyk failed to deal with his speculative flick-on, allowing it to slip through his legs and trickle over the line.
Despite the deficit, Ukraine pushed to get back into their game, but their disappointing evening was summed up when Matviy Ponomarenko’s fiercely struck drive hit the outside of the post.
Ultimately, Zbirna were unable to find even a consolation as Northern Ireland cruised to victory.
With the two sides coming into the game level on points at the top of the group, they both remain well-placed to push for promotion, but Michael O’Neill’s men now have a three-point cushion over tonight’s opponents and Hungary at the halfway point.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ciaron Brown (Northern Ireland)
