Swansea City 4-2 Preston North End: Lowe and Allen sent off as Swans win thriller
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Staff, players and unused substitutes from both clubs were part of a brawl which saw Joe Allen and Ryan Lowe shown 90th-minute red cards
Preston North End's Championship play-off hopes suffered a heavy blow as they were beaten 4-2 in a bad-tempered thriller at Swansea City.
Swansea cruised into a 3-0 lead courtesy of first-half goals from Joel Piroe, Joe Allen and Harry Darling.
Preston threatened to pull off a spectacular comeback thanks to Tom Cannon and Troy Parrott goals before Piroe scored his second in added time.
Lilywhites boss Ryan Lowe and Allen were sent off after an ugly late melee.
Lowe's shove on Allen - who had already been substituted - appeared to be the spark for a brawl which involved players and staff from both clubs and seems certain to lead to further sanctions.
Swansea were unhappy that play was not stopped when Jay Fulton went down with what looked like a head injury, with Allen protesting on the side of the pitch and then reacting to Lowe.
Defeat leaves Preston 11th, two points adrift of sixth-placed Blackburn.
Swansea remain 13th despite extending their longest unbeaten run of the season.
After a barren winter, Russell Martin's team have taken 16 points from their past six games.
Preston's attempt to respond after weekend defeat at Millwall got off to the worst possible start - and things went downhill from there in a desperate first half for the visitors.
There was some controversy about the opening goal, with Preston convinced Ollie Cooper had fouled Brad Potts before Swansea broke away to score.
But there was no excuse for the abject defending which allowed Allen to find Piroe with time and space in the penalty area to stroke in his 18th goal of the season.
Piroe might have had a hat-trick inside 28 minutes, but former Swan Freddie Woodman made two saves to deny the Dutchman as the Welsh club dominated.
Their near total control was rewarded with a fine second goal, Swansea sweeping the ball down the left flank before Piroe fed Allen on the opposite side of the area and he cut inside to curl a left-foot shot inside the far post.
It was the former Wales midfielder's first Swansea goal since he scored in a Premier League draw with Wolves 11 years ago this month.
There was more misery to come for Preston before half-time, as Darling beat the offside trap to head home Ryan Manning's free-kick.
Joe Allen (left) celebrates with Liam Cullen after scoring his first goal in more than three years - and his first for Swansea since 2012
Preston's woeful display led to three half-time changes, and within three minutes substitute Robbie Brady's free-kick was turned home by Cannon to give Lowe's team hope.
Cannon wanted a penalty when he went down under Nathan Wood's challenge, but all he got was a yellow card for diving.
The pattern of the contest had completely transformed, with Swansea unable to get out of their half as Preston poured forward.
Their second goal saw the hosts undone all too easily, with Daniel Johnson sliding a ball through for substitute Parrott to lift a shot over the advancing Andy Fisher and into the net.
Then came the clash between Lowe and Allen, which might easily have led to further red cards on both sides and is sure to feature heavily in referee Oliver Langford's report.
With the atmosphere simmering, Swansea had the last laugh when Liam Walsh picked off a loose pass and Piroe waltzed through to end the contest with a typically composed finish.
Swansea City head coach Russell Martin:
"Some of the build-up was brilliant but they came with such an aggressive press that once we bypassed that it was just game on to go and try to score.
"We scored two really good goals and a set-piece. Conceding so soon after half-time was so frustrating, especially from a set-piece. It just changed how the game looked really.
"Preston threw caution to the wind and committed so many bodies forward. You can see why they have done so well this season. They're a powerful team, really good at what they do.
"But the fight the lads are showing, some of the courage, even at 3-2, to play from the back was immense. We got the fourth goal we deserved, a brilliant finish from Joel [Piroe], and that was a nice way to finish it."