Cork had seen an eight-point lead evaporate as Seamus Flanagan completed a hat-trick of goals.

Indeed, Limerick appeared to have sealed the win when substitute Aidan O’Connor sent over a point to extend their cushion to two points.

However, referee Seán Stack awarded Shane Kingston a penalty goal and issued a black card to Kyle Hayes, the placed ball expertly finished by Patrick Horgan to turn the game on its head once more. Horgan found Brian Hayes with the last play of the game and he capped Cork’s great survival as the stands and terraces burst their banks and the Rebels in the 41,670 crowd streamed onto the field.

Limerick’s typical championship quarter after half-time didn’t materialise as most of Cork’s eight-point half-time lead, 2-15 to 1-10, was still intact up to the 50th minute, 2-2-20 to 1-16.

Flanagan’s third goal in the 52nd minute, benefitting from Gearóid Hegarty upsetting a short Cork puck-out, followed Adam English and Aaron Gillane (free) points and sliced the difference to a point.

Hegarty twice brought Limerick level and laid off the ball for Flanagan’s third goal in the 58th minute as the game seemed to be following a well-known plot. But Cork argued otherwise.

It wasn’t like it wasn’t deserved. Cork were earning so much dividend on their own puck-out in the first quarter that Paul Kinnerk felt compelled to enter the pitch and issue directions to Diarmaid Byrnes. Limerick were being punished in the gaps between their full and half-back lines and their coach had to relay a desperate message. His incursion infuriated the Cork sideline and both Kinnerk and Pat Ryan were booked by referee Seán Stack.

Seamus Harnedy and Shane Barrett had been running the show. Off a fifth minute puck-out, Brian Hayes touched down the ball to an on-running Barrett who supplied Harnedy for the finish.

Again from a Cork restart less than two minutes later, Harnedy sent over a point and the margin was five before another rapid attack almost resulted in a second goal. Alan Connolly was just unable to finish the move.

But Cork continue to plunder those spaces in the Limerick half of the field, Barrett sending over the first of three home points without reply to put Cork eight points ahead by the 13th minute.

A Quaid reaction to a Brian Hayes shot prevented another Cork goal if not a point prior to Limerick getting their act together with a couple of points to reduce the damage to six points. Eoin Downey was replaced in the 23rd minute much to his surprise but having picked up a yellow card with marker Flanagan the Cork management may have been spooked by the prospect of having a third inside defender sent off in as many games.

It wasn’t completely coincidental that Flanagan posted 1-1 inside a minute shortly after Downey’s departure. The 26th minute goal came courtesy of Gillane pilfering a pass by Seán O’Donoghue and squaring a ball to his inside partner.

However, Cork cancelled that out immediately. Patrick Collins boomed a puck-out, Harnedy fetched and repaid the compliment to Barrett to beat Quaid to restore Cork’s six-point advantage.

Frees from Patrick Horgan and Declan Dalton followed and then Quaid was called on again to stop Barrett in the 31st minute. Gillane (free) and Tom Morrissey brought Limerick to within six but Horgan finished out the half with two converted frees, one of them conceded by Seán Finn who had to be replaced after hurting himself in doing so.

Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (1-11, 1-0 pen, 10 frees); S. Harnedy, S. Barrett (1-2 each); D. Fitzgibbon (0-5); D. Dalton (frees), A. Connolly, B. Hayes (0-2 each); E. Twomey, S. Kingston (0-1 each).

Scorers for Limerick: S. Flanagan (3-3); A. Gillane (0-7, frees); G. Hegarty (0-4); C. O’Neill (0-3); T. Morrissey, D. Byrnes (frees) (0-2 each); D. Reidy, C. Lynch, A. English, K. Hayes, A. O’Connor (0-1 each).

CORK: P. Collins; N. O’Leary, E. Downey, S. O’Donoghue (c); M. Coleman, R. Downey, T O’Mahony; E. Twomey, D. Fitzgibbon; S. Barrett, D. Dalton, S. Harnedy; P. Horgan, A. Connolly, B. Hayes.

Subs for Cork: D. Cahalane for E. Downey (23); B. Roche for E. Twomey (57); G. Millerick for M. Coleman (61); S. Kingston for D. Dalton (62); T. O’Connell for R. Downey (66).

LIMERICK: N. Quaid; S. Finn, D. Morrissey, B. Nash; D. Byrnes, D. Hannon (c), K. Hayes; W. O’Donoghue, C. O’Neill; G. Hegarty, C. Lynch, T. Morrissey; A. Gillane, S. Flanagan, D. Reidy.

Subs for Limerick: F. O’Connor for S. Finn (inj 35+3); A. English for D. Reidy (49); C. Boylan for T. Morrissey (61); A. O’Connor for D. Hannon (68); D. Ó Dalaigh for A. Gillane (70).

Referee: S. Stack (Dublin).