First division Burnley comfortably survived a potential cup upset at third division Mansfield thanks to a couple of clinical Ian Moore strikes.
However, referee Phil Prosser did his best to ruin the tie with three red and five yellow cards.
Moore finally killed off Mansfield with his second goal in the 72 minute, tapping in the rebound after keeper Kevin Pilkington could not hold Robbie Blake's piledriver free kick.
Mansfield defender Luke Dimech had been red carded - the second home player to be sent off - for bringing down Moore to concede that free kick.
A minute later Burnley midfielder Richard Chaplow also saw red after kicking the ball away.
But the Clarets never looked likely to lose their grip on a place in the fourth round despite a couple of late chances for Mansfield's Liam Lawrence and Junior Mendes.
Burnley had rung the changes in a bid to end a run of four successive defeats and on-loan Blackburn defender Jay McEveley, later to be stretchered off with a knee injury, made his full debut.
But all the early action came at the other end as Burnley opened up the home defence at will. In the second minute Moore broke clear but failed to pick out the unmarked Blake, then two minutes later when Moore did find his strike partner, Moore wasted the chance.
In the seventh minute another golden opportunity went begging as Luke Chadwick shot straight at the keeper from four yards.
Moore then fired narrowly wide on a breakaway and only a last-ditch tackle from Bobby Hassell denied Moore in the 20th minute.
Mansfield were denied a clear penalty when the hesitant Mark McGregor hauled back Mendes.
But the third division side eventually fell behind on the half hour, Moore flicking in Luke Chadwick's cross at the near post.
The home side's cause was made even harder when Jamie Clarke was red carded for violent conduct after a challenge on keeper Brian Jensen.
And the underdogs almost snatched an unlikely equaliser seven minutes into the second half when Liam Lawrence's fierce header from substitute Wayne Corden's cross was acrobatically tipped over by the keeper.