CHERRIES surrendered a lead with five minutes to play to be dumped out of the EFL Cup by Championship side Preston, for whom striker Simon Makienok struck a hat-trick.

Cherries appeared to have the tie sewn up inside 90 minutes when Lewis Grabban, from the penalty spot, and Dan Gosling had overturned Makienok’s 10th minute strike for the visitors. But Makienok pounced again with five minutes to play to extend the contest into extra-time, before conjuring up a dramatic 111th minute winner.

The visitors struck gold on their first venture forward. Chris Humphrey’s delivery from the right found Makienok, chesting down for Ben Pringle. The attacker’s effort was hacked from the line by Nathan Ake – but when the ball eventually landed back at the feet of Danish international Makienok he drove a low shot that outfoxed Adam Federici at his near-post, passing through the keeper’s legs and into the back of the net.

As the half progressed, Cherries, unusually operating with three at the back, were spluttering, conceding possession cheaply and failing to find their typical fluency.

To rub salt into the Premier League side’s wounds, Preston were employing the same tactic with a degree of comfort, defending efficiently, passing the ball economically and countering with real purpose.

Brad Smith tried to inject some life into his team’s attacking play by taking a sharp return pass from Benik Afobe to shoot left footed across goal and bring a fingertip stop from Chris Maxwell.

Max Gradel’s free-kick, after Grabban had been checked by Paul Huntington just short of the box, cannoned off the wall and ran favourably for Preston No 1 Maxwell. And Gradel’s dander was really up when he was flagged offside after latching onto Grabban’s through ball, the Ivorian turning to berate his team-mate for delaying the pass.

Cherries’ stop-start first-half performance was embodied in its last act. Breaking from a Preston corner, Dan Gosling rode John Welsh’s challenge and found Grabban. With red and black shirted bodies pouring forward, the striker slipped in Tyrone Mings but the defender’s tame delivery was headed clear - the attack blowing out as quickly as it was sparked.

Eddie Howe, who had changed his starting 11 entirely from that which started at Manchester City on Saturday, sent for Lys Mousset in place of Marc Wilson for the second half in an attempt to change the tide – the manager dropping Fraser to the right of a back-four in a primarily forward-thinking unit. And after Makienok and Ben Pearson both struck off target from range, Cherries wrested the initiative from their visitors.

Ryan Fraser was to the fore, repeatedly driving at Preston’s backline. And it was Pringle’s daft pull back at the former Aberdeen player that indirectly hauled Cherries level. Gradel’s subsequent set-piece slammed into a hand in the Preston wall, prompting referee Simon Hooper to point to the spot.

Grabban, making the 21st appearance of his second Cherries spell, stroked home the penalty for his first goal since rejoining the club from Norwich in January.

Pringle was the culprit again when Gradel was dragged down 20-yards from goal just shy of the hour. The winger picked himself up to curl the dead ball narrowly beyond Maxwell’s right-hand post.

The narrative, by and large, had changed. Mousset’s fierce ball into the box induced panic in the visitors’ ranks until it was swiped away from in front of Ake. And Mousset then had two goalbound shots in quick succession blocked by scrambling defensive bodies.

Gradel’s appeals for a second penalty, when he went over with Humphrey at his back, were dismissed by referee Hooper, before Smith’s 20-yard strike looped-up viciously off substitute Tom Clarke, forcing a top-drawer save from a fully-extended Maxwell.

When Cherries did forge ahead it was as the product of some wonderfully positive play by Gosling. Collecting the ball on the left, the midfielder sprayed a pass right for Grabban. The forward’s subsequent turn of pace and sheer strength were far too much for Ben Davies and when Grabban sent a low delivery across the box it was Gosling who had continued his run to prod home from six yards out.

It looked like job done for Cherries. But back came the visitors. Federici was required to pull off a double stop, pushing away a Pringle effort and then clawing out Humphrey’s follow up.

But the keeper was helpless when Makionek leapt above Ake to expertly head home Humphrey’s delicious, pinpoint right-wing delivery.

It was Federici who kept the tie alive at the death, however, the Australian diving to his left to beat out Huntington’s downward header from Pringle’s left sided corner.

After surviving something of a late barrage from the increasingly ambitious visitors, Cherries emerged for the extra 30 minutes with a renewed sense of purpose. Gradel forced Maxwell to push behind a wicked shot down to the keeper’s right.

And Maxwell then improvised to save with his legs after Mousset had received Lewis Cook’s pass to rifle an effort towards the visiting No 1’s near-post

But it was Makionek who would break Cherries’ hearts. Clarke burst out from the back to feed Pearson. And when Corey Jordan, recently introduced in place of Mings, couldn’t make convincing contact on his attempt to clear Clarke’s delivery, Makionek took full advantage. The imposing No 9 flicked the ball goalwards, with Federici’s right glove not enough to prevent it from dribbling over the line.

There was still time for Mousset to sting Maxwell’s gloves, once more, but it was not to be for Cherries, who failed to reach the competition’s fourth round for the first time since 2013.