Second-half goals from Tom Cannon and Troy Parrott weren’t enough to earn Preston North End a point on the road, as Swansea City came out 4-2 winners.
There were fewer than 80 seconds on the clock when Joel Piroe broke the deadlock, before Joe Allen and Harry Darling then added to the scoreline before the break.
Tom Cannon scored early in the second period and then substitute Troy Parrott scored his side’s second, but Piroe scored in stoppage-time to take the game away from PNE.
North End gave themselves work to do right from the start as the hosts took the lead just two minutes in, with Allen finding Piroe in the box, who beat Freddie Woodman to find the far corner.
At the other end, PNE’s first chance came through Cannon, who fired a low effort wide of goal from 20 yards, before Álvaro Fernández then saw a shot deflect behind.
Piroe had the next two opportunities of the game, with the first being a tame effort, but Woodman had to come up with a good stop to keep out Swansea’s top scorer on 28 minutes when he shot from ten yards.
Just after the half-hour mark, Daniel Johnson intercepted a loose pass in midfield and the ball made its way out to Brad Potts, but he whistled an effort over the bar.
Swansea had their second of the evening on 35 minutes when Ryan Manning broke forward and found Piroe, who in turn passed it on to Allen, and the Welshman was able to cut inside before finding the far corner.
The hosts would have a three-goal lead at the break, though, as Manning was again involved, this time finding an unmarked Darling eight yards out and the defender headed past Woodman.
Ryan Lowe made three changes at the break – which saw the introduction of Robbie Brady and the return from injury of Ali McCann – and the former claimed an assist inside three minutes as his free-kick fell to Cannon, who cushioned an effort past Fisher in the home goal.
Fernández then came close on 55 minutes when he was found by Ledson and the Spaniard hit the ball on the bounce, firing just the wrong side of the post.
Parrott was brought on for North End in the 69th minute as they kept looking for another goal and the Irishman got in just two minutes later, as Johnson found the striker who expertly dinked the ball over Fisher.
Against the run of play, the hosts could and perhaps should have had a fourth when Piroe rounded Woodman, but he chose to be unselfish and pass to Olivier Ntcham, and the midfielder blazed high and wide.
There was then a huge melee on the touchline in the final couple of minutes of normal time involving both sets of players, for which home midfielder Allen and North End manager Lowe was sent off.
The game was settled, though, in the fourth minute of stoppage-time when Piroe finished past Woodman for his second of the night.
Swansea starting XI: Fisher; Darling, Cabango, Wood, Latibeaudiere; Allen (Fulton, 62), Grimes; Cullen (Walsh, 62), Cooper (Ntcham, 75), Manning; Piroe (Whittaker, 90+7). Subs not used: Sondergaard, Paterson, Cundle.
PNE starting XI: Woodman; Storey (Brady, 45), Lindsay (McCann, 45), Hughes; Potts, Whiteman (Diaby, 45), Ledson (Onomah, 90+1), Johnson, Fernández; Cannon, Delap (Parrott, 69). Subs not used: Cornell, Woodburn.
Attendance: 15,433 (261 PNE pre-sales).
Referee: Mr O Langford.