Patrick Horgan struck 0-10 to equal TJ Reid as the championship’s all-time top scorer on 699 points but his team didn’t register again after his final white flag in the 66th minute.
Cork left their back door open late on against Offaly and it rained goal chances again in the closing stages as Dublin flooded numbers forward. Ronan Hayes blasted a snapshot wide before Declan Dalton was denied by a flying Seán Brennan save at the other end.
As the clock ticked into four added minutes, Patrick Collins blocked a Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing drive before a Donal Burke free was stopped on the line by Niall O’Leary. A late Ó Dúlaing effort was snuffed out to the relief of Rebel fans.
The Dubs gave themselves some chance by holding the Leesiders goalless for the first time this year but will rue a shot conversion rate falling below 50 per cent. They had 16 wides to Cork’s 13 in an error-strewn contest.
Pat Ryan’s men will require a sizeable improvement on their last two outings but having been backed into a corner, they have reeled off four championship wins on the spin for the first time since 2006.
With Robert Downey ruled out due to illness, Ciarán Joyce provided a readymade centre-back replacement while Luke Meade came into midfield. Séamus Harnedy, back from a hamstring tweak, demonstrated his fitness with their opening score.
Dublin, meanwhile, made four late changes with Daire Gray, Darragh Power, Mark Grogan, and Paul Crummey introduced. Out went Paddy Doyle and their entire full-forward line of Fergal Whiteley, Dara Purcell, and Ronan Hayes.
They did cause Cork some problems with their direct running game. Midfielder Conor Burke attempted eight shots, converting four. He also won three scoreable frees but Donal Burke blazed each wide. Brian Hayes landed two points while assisting three more in the opening half.
The sides were level six times before Cork began to inch ahead. Horgan had a third-minute goal chance brilliantly blocked by Eoghan O’Donnell but the forward raised a pair of white flags in the 15th minute for a lead they never relinquished.
They stretched it out to six points with Dalton arrowing over four between there and the break. Eoin Downey was denied a first championship point by Hawk-Eye but they still led 0-15 to 0-10 by the half-time.
They gobbled up the Dublin puck-out for the opening four points of the second half, including another Dalton double.
Donal Burke’s day went from bad to worse when he hit the ground approaching goal but was pinged for overcarrying rather than receiving a penalty. His fourth missed free saw Seán Currie take over dead-ball duties and his Na Fianna clubmate ended with 0-07.
With the record in his sights, Horgan was gifted five frees to tap over while Robbie O’Flynn was called off the bench and scored with his first two touches.
Chris Crummey notched three from the half-back line but Dublin’s late push came up short.
SCORERS – Cork: P Horgan 0-10 (7f); D Dalton 0-6 (3f); D Fitzgibbon, S Barrett, S Harnedy, R O’Flynn 0-2 each; B Hayes, L Meade 0-1 each.
Dublin: S Currie 0-7 (4f); C Burke 0-4; C Crummey, D Burke (1f) 0-3 each; B Hayes 0-2; D Power, P Doyle 0-1 each.
CORK – P Collins; N O’Leary, S O’Donoghue, E Downey; T O’Mahony, C Joyce, M Coleman; L Meade, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Barrett, S Harnedy; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.
Subs: S Kingston for Harnedy (49), T O’Connell for Meade (49), G Millerick for Fitzgibbon (59), R O’Flynn for Hayes (61), C Lehane for Connolly (68).
DUBLIN – S Brennan; P Smyth, E O’Donnell, J Bellew; C Crummey, C Donohoe, D Gray; C Burke, M Grogan; B Hayes, D Burke, D Power; D Sutcliffe, S Currie, P Crummey.
Subs: R Hayes for P Crummey (44-70+4, temporary), P Doyle for Gray (48), D Ó Dúlaing for Grogan (54), J Madden for Donohoe (59), F Whiteley for B Hayes (64).
Ref – M Kennedy (Tipperary).
