Preston North End inflicted a rare defeat on Burnley and breached the visitors’s miserly defence three times to progress into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1966.
Scott Parker’s side hadn’t conceded in nine games and 854 minutes of football before Robbie Brady, Milutin Osmajic and Will Keane all found the back of the net in this Lancashire derby to end Burnley’s 24-game unbeaten run and send Preston into the last-eight draw.
Story of the game
This FA Cup tie combined a local rivalry with a throwback to the golden age of this competition when, in the fifties and sixties, these two founder members of the Football League competed for Cup glory.
Preston were runners-up in 1954 and 1964 while Burnley were semi-finalists in 1961 and runners-up a year later.
However, given the two goalless draws these sides had served up in their Championship meetings this season, the expectation was that this would be another war of attrition. And that is how it played out until Brady’s wonderful opener against his former club just after half an hour.
Neither team had stamped their authority on rather low-key proceedings before the former Republic of Ireland international seized the opportunity to put the home side ahead.
Brad Potts being upended by Lucas Pires presented Preston with a set-piece about 10 yards outside the Burnley penalty area. Brady curled the free kick with his right foot over the defensive wall and into the top corner.
A rare concession by Parker’s side was quickly followed by another.
The Burnley players had refused to shake Osmajic’s hand prior to the game amid accusations that he racially abused Hannibal Mejbri when the sides met last month. The Montenegro forward “strongly refutes” the allegations and caught the Burnley backline flat footed when Potts slid him a pass and he finished beyond Vaclav Hladky.
Being two goals behind was uncharted territory for Burnley but the visitors did go close through Luca Koleosho. The winger, who had already sent a shot wide of the far post after driving through the Preston defence, saw an effort cleared off the line just before half time.
Burnley played with more urgency after the interval but that did leave them open to a Preston counter-attack. One such break saw Kaine Kesler-Hayden burst forward but the defender blasted his shot over the crossbar.
Freddie Woodman, the Preston goalkeeper, produced his first meaningful save to deny substitute Zian Flemming.
But the home side sealed progression, and their first home win against Burnley in 16 years, when Keane converted Andrew Hughes’s centre from close range 17 minutes from time.
