Jack McCarron’s second-half goal helped Monaghan defeat Down by 2-27 to 1-26 to secure an All-Ireland quarter-final spot.
It was a winner-takes-all shootout in Group Three in Armagh as the sides were level on four points heading into the final fixture.
Down held a narrow 1-15 to 1-14 lead at the break as John McGeough and Michael Bannigan exchanged first-half goals.
There was little to split the sides throughout the contest, but McCarron’s goal was crucial as Monaghan moved clear in the final quarter to book their place in the last eight.
Down will go into the preliminary quarter-final after the defeat, and they will be joined by Leinster champions Louth, who defeated Clare by 2-17 to 2-14 to progress.
Monaghan held a three-point lead in the early stages but Down drew level when McGeough netted after being found by Ryan McEvoy.
In a role reversal, Down edged into a three-point lead after a flurry of points before Bannigan struck in the 31st minute to level the contest.
Down again moved three points clear as the clock ticked towards half-time, but Rory Beggan’s two-pointer reduced the lead at the interval.
The end-to-end nature continued before Pat Havern’s 11th point of the game moved Conor Laverty’s side four points clear.
However, Monaghan grabbed their second goal 14 minutes into the second half in scrappy circumstances when Conor McCarthy was denied by Ronan Burns, Bannigan hit the post from the rebound but the ball fell kindly to McCarron, who was able to fire into the unguarded net.
Neither side could find clear daylight until McCarron, Bannigan, Ryan O’Toole and Beggan’s two-pointer moved Gabriel Bannigan’s side five points clear heading into injury-time, which was enough to help Monaghan over the line and into the last eight.
