Burnley U21 1, Blackburn Rovers 3

Ntumba Massanka gave Michael Jolley’s side the advantage when netting his fourth of the competition in the 25th minute from Jamie Frost’s assist.

Rovers levelled through Matthew Platt late in the second half to force the additional 30-minute period before booking their spot in the last 16 courtesy of wonderful strikes from Willem Tomlinson and Connor Mahoney.

Dean Marney, who scored a tremendous free-kick from his own half in an incredible 5-4 defeat to Oldham Athletic at Gawthorpe, tried his luck from closer range early in the tie, but Simon Eastwood was equal to the attempt from 30 yards after full back Arlen Birch had been grounded.

Rovers dominated the ball in the early stages, with Tom Anderson clearing ahead of Matt Gilks from Sacha Petshi’s drive minutes in to the game, but the Clarets eventually came alive and eventually took the lead.

Frost lofted the ball over the away side’s static rearguard from the left hand side and teenager Massanka, who moved goal side of Platt, guided an exquisite volley across Eastwood and in to the corner to add to his goals against Wigan Athletic and Barnsley.

Josh Ginnelly, signed from Shrewsbury Town in the summer, then shaped a right-footed effort in to an empty David Fishwick Stand after space opened up for the winger on the edge of the box.

Frenchman Petshi, signed by Gary Bowyer from CA Bastia four months ago, curled an effort over Gilks’s bar from 25 yards as Rovers responded before Anton Forrester drilled wide of the far upright after collecting a pass from Hyuga Tanner.

Burnley should’ve doubled their advantage before the interval when Chris Long benefited from skipper Scott Wharton’s slip to race clear from Frost’s incisive pass, but Eastwood narrowed the angle well to deny the former Everton forward with his legs.

Rovers, who introduced Tomlinson at the expense of David Carson at the start of the second half, began well after the break and Mahoney’s measured effort fell just wide of the post as the midfielder shaped the ball on to his left boot from the angle of the 18-yard box.

At the opposite end, referee Peter Gibbons ignored cries for a penalty when Ginnelly hit the turf under pressure from Ryan Nyambe following Massanka’s cutting back heel.

Ginnelly was in the thick of the action again soon after when finding a route beyond Nyambe from the bye-line on the left hand side but Massanka found the gloves of Eastwood with a header from the resulting cross.

After Eastwood comfortably gathered Frost’s attempt from outside the penalty area, the 26-year-old former Portsmouth stopper did well to beat Long’s ferocious drive to safety after the forward cut back on to his left foot from 12 yards.

Ginnelly worked another opening when popping up on the right, and getting the better of Jack Doyle, but the winger failed to trouble Eastwood after failing to keep his shot down.

Eastwood plunged low to his left to thwart Frost in the home side’s next foray forward but disaster struck in the 77th minute as Rovers levelled the tie.

Gilks had been untroubled in the second period but there was nothing the Scot could do to prevent Platt from equalising. The defender stole a yard from his marker to bury Mahoney’s deep set-piece with a close range header to take the tie in to extra-time.

The home side had two great opportunities to restore their lead in the additional period but substitute Renny Smith, who had earlier replaced Ginnelly, and Frost failed to capitalise.

Smith pulled an effort across Eastwood and narrowly wide of the woodwork when finding space inside the box while Frost blazed over with a clear sight of goal once Long and Marney combined incisively in the build up.

And those misses would come back to haunt the hosts as Rovers took charge. After Connor Thomson stung the palms of Gilks, 17-year-old Tomlinson scored with an excellent strike from distance that grazed the fingertips of the Clarets goalkeeper before nestling in to the corner in the 103rd minute.

Mahoney then rounded off the fixture with a wonderful finish five minutes after the restart, picking out the top corner with a curling effort after finding space from Doyle’s delivery to make it 3-1.