Jaden Philogene’s superb second-half strike condemned faltering Preston to a 1-0 defeat at Hull.
North End are now seven games without victory after Philogene, who scored in similarly impressive fashion against Birmingham on Wednesday, let rip with a powerful low hit after 68 minutes.
The England Under-21 international was the stand-out performer in a scrappy game as Hull ended a frustrating run of home form to move into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.
Preston manager Ryan Lowe might feel hard done by, however, as his side were denied valid claims for a second-half penalty.
They were also in relative control of the game until Philogene stole the show with a moment of exceptional individualism.
The hosts, with just one prior home win all season, nonetheless looked the more likely scorers in the first half.
Philogene and Scott Twine both flashed wide from distance, but Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman was not once tested in the first half.
If anything, North End, despite having lost Will Keane and Greg Cunningham to early injuries, grew into the game.
But neither side could convincingly force the issue, with a sell-out MKM Stadium growing increasingly subdued by the dearth of chances at either end.
That was until just before the break when Jean Michael Seri threaded a perfect ball through the heart of Preston’s midfield.
Philogene was one-on-one with Woodman but dithered in possession and took the ball wide of the target without even having a shot.
It could have been a costly error if referee Lewis Smith had been in more charitable mood after 47 minutes.
Preston had a strong shout for a penalty when Alfie Jones appeared to haul down Alan Browne, but Smith was having none of it.
Philogene then nearly atoned for his naivety when he cut inside at pace from the left before striking towards the bottom-right corner.
Woodman was, however, well positioned and pulled off a fine save with his fingertips after 53 minutes.
Preston also had their moments, most notably after 65 minutes when neat interplay between Ched Evans and Browne on the right gave Liam Millar a clear sight on goal.
Millar struck well, but Adama Traore pulled off a fine sliding challenge to steer the ball away for a corner.
Just when Preston looked set to kick on following a sustained spell of pressure, Hull scored.
Philogene had the beating of Brad Potts all game and waltzed past the defender before firmly planting the ball off the base of a post and into the bottom-right.
Preston could easily have wilted, but they doggedly stayed in contention and nearly equalised on 81 minutes.
Substitute Evans was teed up on the left by Browne but his goal-bound strike was expertly kept out by Ryan Allsop.
Lowe’s men went for broke towards the death, but they could find no way through.
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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