Warrington Wolves suffered a real Challenge Cup hangover as they failed to come back from a Salford Red Devils first-half try barrage.
Scores from Nene MacDonald, Deon Cross and Marc Sneyd, who also kicked three two-pointers and a drop-goal, earned Salford a 19-0 lead.
Two unconverted second-half tries in five minutes by Rodrick Tai and Matty Ashton gave Wire hope but Sneyd closed the door with a beautiful kick to the corner from which Cross added his second try.
Tai at least earned the final score of the night, to which Josh Drinkwater added a touchline conversion – but it could not prevent Sam Burgess’s beaten Wembley finalists going down to a third straight league and cup defeat.
With main playmaker George Williams missing from the Wire team beaten by Wigan six days before, the hosts put in an ineffectual first-half performance.
After MacDonald’s early converted try, Sneyd’s boot quickly added a penalty.
Cross then dummied his way past Dufty for the second try and, although the conversion attempt was missed, Ethan Ryan and Kallum Watkins combined to send in Sneyd under the posts himself – and the try-scorer iced his own cake.
Having added a one-pointer to further cement his side’s interval advantage, Salford’s defence was finally breached by two tries in quick succession midway through the second half.
It took over five minutes before Tai’s first try was finally allowed. Then, in less time on the field than it took the off-field team to run through the previous score, they crossed again when Toby King found winger Ashton.
But Sneyd had another trick left in his locker when his delightfully placed kick to the corner was pounced on by Cross for his second try of the night.
Tai also bagged a second try with the last play of the game, improved by a touchline kick from Josh Drinkwater – but it was purely for cosmetic purposes.
