Late McConville free saves Armagh
Armagh 0-11 Fermanagh 2-5
Ulster champions Armagh needed a late free from Oisin McConville to keep their title defence alive in a gripping semi-final clash at Clones.
The sides will meet again on June 25 to decide who goes through the final against either Donegal or Derry.
Fermanagh struck for a goal after five minutes when Tom Brewster fielded to shoot low to the net.
Centre back Ciaran McKeever and Steven McDonnell had already hit the target for Armagh, and a bright spell for the Erne men produced only a rash of bad wides, before Brewster thumped over a 34 metre free and Ciaran O'Reilly registered from a more straightforward placed ball.
When Paddy McKeever's pinpoint pass enabled Brian Mallon to send wing back Aaron Kernan in for a point, the sides were level.
Oisin McConville tapped over the bar for the lead point, and Steven McDonnell, operating in a withdrawn role for much of the first half, popped up where he is at his most dangerous to split the posts and send the defending champions in with a 0-7 to 1-2 interval lead.
Fearless Fermanagh finally decided to take the game to their opponents, and got the second half off to a thunderous start, with a goal and two points inside eight minutes of the restart.
Tom Brewster drilled over their first point from play on 38 minutes, and in the 44th minute the Armagh full back line was exposed again as the Lakelanders struck for a second goal from substitute Ryan Keenan.
Eamon Maguire's defence-splitting pass sent Murphy through for a point, and while they held a two points lead with more than 20 minutes to play, they knew that a super-human effort would be required to survive against an Armagh side renowned for its resilience and powers of recovery.
Fermanagh, living on the edge, on their nerves, defended superbly, particularly when the Ulster champions started to thump long diagonal ball towards Clarke and McDonnell.
The ploy produced just one point for McGeeney, and it was left to Oisin McConville, as so often in the past, to earn another chance for Armagh with a 70th minute free, and that only after Brewster had missed the target at the other end from a placed ball.
Armagh: P Hearty, Mallon, F Bellew, E McNulty, A Kernan (0-1), C McKeever (0-1), JP Donnelly, K McGeeney, P McGrane, P McKeever (0-1), B Mallon, M Mackin, S McDonnell (0-3), R Clarke (0-2), O McConville (0-3, 1 free).
Subs: A O'Rourke for Donnelly, J McEntee for Clarke
