Goals from Fred Onyedinma, a Joe Jacobson penalty, Josh Knight and Alex Samuel put Wycombe Wanderers in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup.
Emil Riis did score from the penalty spot just before half-time to give the Lilywhites hope, after going three down in first half, but the Chairboys completed their win in the last ten minutes.
Alex Neil made seven changes to the side that played a week prior against Nottingham Forest, with Andrew Hughes – one of the four to remain in the team – named captain for the first time. Jayson Molumby was also handed a start after completing his loan move from Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in the week.
The home side came out of the blocks quickly and took the lead after less than three minutes, new loan signing Admiral Muskwe getting away on the right touchline, putting a deep cross up for Onyedinma to head across goal into the bottom right-hand corner.
And on nine minutes, they had a chance to double that lead as Josh Earl was adjudged to have brought down Uche Ikpeazu on the right edge of the penalty area; Jacobson stepping up and firing the penalty right down the middle with power to make it 2-0.
In the 12th minute, North End went close to pulling one back as Ryan Ledson delivered a free kick from the left corner of the penalty area and Ryan Allsop palmed it out, but only as far as Hughes, the skipper’s header going towards the top left corner, until the Chairboys’ No.1 intervened and made a fingertip save to push the ball away.
But the home side made it three on 25 minutes, when a free kick from 40 yards by Jacobson was played into the box, finding Jason McCarthy, who pulled the ball back to the penalty spot, where Knight swept the ball into the goal.
An excellent stop from Ripley from a Jacobson corner on the half hour mark, prevented a fourth. The home side claimed it had gone straight in, but the goal-line technology proved it was a very good punch away by the PNE No.25.
On 42 minutes, North End had a chance to pull one back as Brad Potts sent Riis through down the right, Allsop coming out and bringing down the Dane and getting booked. Riis stepped up himself and sent the keeper the wrong way, firing into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 3-1.
The manager made a double change at the break, Alan Browne and Paul Huntington on for Josh Earl and Tom Bayliss, with Browne also taking the armband.
Ten minutes into the second period and Allsop made a good save to keep out a deflected effort off his own man, Jacobson, after Browne’s cross from the left side of the box was chested down by Riis, deflecting off the left back towards the bottom left-hand corner.
Two good stops from Ripley kept out Ikpeazu and Onyedinma with just less than 20 minutes left as the freezing fog descended on Adams Park, with the game very open as North End fought to get back within one of Gareth Ainsworth’s side.
Darnell Fisher and Sean Maguire were added for the last 15 minutes in the thickening fog, Joe Rafferty and Molumby giving way, but it was Samuel on for Wycombe who had the next chance, sent through by fellow change Adebayo Akinfenwa, only for Ripley to make a fine one-on-one stop.
As the game entered the last ten minutes, a great move down the left saw Hughes exchange a one-two with Potts, before crossing for Stockley to head on target, but straight into the arms of Allsop.
But on the counter from that chance, the home side completed the win with eight minutes left. Former PNE winger Daryl Horgan put the ball in for Samuel to again go through and this time complete the finish into the bottom right-hand corner.
PNE kept chasing and Browne saw a free kick blocked, before Potts’ follow-up volley was deflected behind for a corner that Jordan Storey headed wide of the left-hand post from ten yards out.
Horgan, who had scored in a 5-1 win for PNE at the same ground in 2018, almost made it that score with three minutes left, his left foot curler from outside the penalty area coming back off the left-hand post, Onyedinma firing the rebound over the bar.
Chances kept coming as Potts headed over the bar from around the penalty spot, after a ball in from the right corner of the box by Fisher in the final minute of normal time.
And then in injury time, Horgan put the ball behind to prevent Browne adding a PNE second from Fisher’s pull back, before Ledson then fired over from the second of two resulting corners, but it remained 4-1.
Wycombe Wanderers line-up: Allsop, Jacobson, Tafazolli, Wheeler, Ikpeazu (Akinfenwa, 76), Bloomfield (c) (Horgan, 57), Knight, Muskwe (Samuel, 75), Onyedinma, Adeniran (Gape, 66), McCarthy. Subs not used: Stockdale, Grimmer, Kashket, Charles, Mehmeti.
PNE line-up: Ripley, Rafferty (Fisher, 74), Earl (Huntington, 46), Ledson, Storey, Hughes (c), Bayliss (Browne, 46), Molumby (Maguire, 75), Riis, Stockley, Potts. Subs not used: Hudson, Holland-Wilkinson, O’Reilly, Walker.
Referee: Mr S Martin