A 58th-minute goal from man-of-the-match Kieran Donaghy proved crucial for the Kingdom, with the Tralee man's aerial dominance around the Monaghan square another vital factor.

Kerry should have been further in front at half-time - three Bryan Sheehan points had them 0-06 to 0-03 ahead but Colm Cooper pushed a penalty attempt wide of the target.

With Gary McQuaid, Tommy Freeman and Rory Woods to the fore, a valiant Monaghan side battled their hearts out.

Delighting their supporters in the 38,320-strong crowd, they got back level at 0-10 apiece.

However, they missed out on a goal when Ciaran Hanratty kicked to the right and wide from a tight angle.

Four minutes later, Kerry turned the screw. Donaghy powered home his goal after good approach work from Tommy Griffin, Darragh O Se and Eoin Brosnan.

Although Monaghan tagged on a trio of late points, the goal was a killer blow for them and Kerry march on into their eighth successive All-Ireland quarter-final since the new system was introduced in 2001.

Ulster football's hopes rest on Armagh and Tyrone now, after Monaghan, Down and Fermanagh all exited the championship this weekend.

Kerry, who started with the fit-again Declan O'Sullivan in their attack, put Tommy Walsh and Donaghy together in a two-man full-forward line.

The 20-year-old Walsh, making his first championship start, was one of few players to catch the eye during a slow-burning first half.

As he did before the win over Donegal last week, Monaghan manager Seamus McEnaney brought Gary McQuaid in for Darren Hughes at centre-back as a late change.

Kerry almost stole a march on the Farney men, whom they beat by a point in a memorable quarter-final last year.

But Pat O'Shea's men missed two early shots at the posts and also failed to garner a penalty when Donaghy was felled by JP Mone.

Monaghan opened the scoring in the seventh-minute when full-forward Vincent Corey raised a white flag and McQuaid did likewise after a jaunt forward.

Increasing the tempo, Kerry began to find their range and free-taker Sheehan thumped a long range point through the posts, after linking up with Cooper and Donaghy.

Kerry almost registered the game's first goal, 12 minutes in, when a high ball in from Sheehan caused havoc in the Monaghan defence.

Dermot McArdle looked to have it all sewn up but he dropped the ball and Donnacha Walsh, gobbling up the breaking ball, thumped a close range shot off the crossbar.

Donaghy's effort on the rebound was deflected wide for a '45' which Sheehan converted for 0-02 apiece.

Donaghy increased his influence as he won a free which Colm Cooper sent through the uprights to edge Kerry in front.

All-Star forward Tommy Freeman was enjoying a fantastic duel with Marc O Se, the 2007 Footballer of the Year, and the diminutive Monaghan marksman really got on top in the second half.

Monaghan's big problem in the first half was their failure to convert scores. They had eleven scoring chances in the opening half, but were only successful with three shots.

Along with that, ace free-taker Paul Finlay, so accurate against Donegal, struggled to get into the game.

Cooper had an ideal chance to increase Kerry's lead when Donnacha Walsh was taken down for the penalty.

Yet the flame-haired forward's effort was a poor one and sailed to the right of Padraig McBennett's goal.

Monaghan drew strength from that miss and Freeman kicked a neat free for their third point, before Sheehan replied with another pinpoint placed ball.

Tommy Walsh, whose movement was causing concern for Dessie Mone, found enough space just before the break to open his account with a right-footed point.

Defender Aidan O'Mahony powered forward and beat off a number of tacklers to score the half's final point, handing the All-Ireland champions a double scores lead to take into the break.

The intensity of the game went up a notch right from the restart. Direct football from Monaghan led to Rory Woods pointing after only 13 seconds.

Both teams began to fire over successive points with Tommy Walsh setting up Cooper for a point before he doubled his own tally, swinging over a skyscraper score at the Hill 16 end.

In between, Tommy Freeman skipped away from Marc O Se before curling over a sweet point, from right to left.

Still struggling to find his range, Finlay hit his third wide but midfielder Eoin Lennon rallied Monaghan by powering forward and pointing off his right, ahead of two defenders.

Kerry re-opened their three-point lead (0-09 to 0-06) when Seamus Scanlon pointed after being set up by Donaghy - although a goal was very much on the cards.

Finlay (free) and Woods, who used his strength to carve out a fine point from play, cut Kerry's advantage to a single point in the 45th-minute.

And though Donaghy opened his account with a right-footed effort, as the game hotted up, Monaghan soon had the game squared up at 0-10 apiece.

A brilliant hooked shot from Freeman, who was causing further problems for his marker O Se, and a Finlay free bolstered Monaghan's tally.

Kerry looked slightly rattled, with former captain Declan O'Sullivan remonstrating with referee Maurice Deegan after he was whistled up for over-carrying.

The Kerry backs needed to tighten up on their men, but strong displays by Donaghy and the Kingdom's midfield unit, which was aided by Tommy Griffin's introduction, saw O'Shea's charges in the ascendancy.

Monaghan missed out on a glorious chance to hit the front, in the 54th-minute, when Ciaran Hanratty sped away from his man.

The nippy corner forward had two team-mates to his right as he darted in towards the left side of the Kerry square. Opting to go for goal, his driven left-footed shot flew agonisingly wide of the right post.

Kerry immediately upped their game and won a flurry of midfield balls, with the Monaghan pairing of Dick Clerkin and Lennon visibly tiring.

A wonderfully-weighted ball in from the left from Cooper allowed Donnaghy gather and punch his second point.

Kerry moved 0-12 to 0-10 ahead when Sheehan made a free from far out look very easy. The all-important goal arrived two minutes later.

Substitute Griffin made an immediate impact as he gathered a high ball, Darragh O Se took it on before he unloaded to another substitute Eoin Brosnan.

Charging through the heart of the Monaghan defence, Brosnan made great yardage and popped the ball to the unmarked Donaghy who, standing to the right of the square, was able to unleash a powerful shot to the far left corner of McBennett's net.

Now five points in arrears, Monaghan kept plugging away determined to hold onto their championship summer.

Freeman landed his fourth point, which was quickly followed by an excellent score off of the outside of McQuaid's right boot.

Time was trickling away on Monaghan and they almost leaked a second goal in the 68th-minute when a ball in from Kerry substitute Darren O'Sullivan exposed the Farney rearguard again.

Donaghy jumped highest and punched the ball goalward, only for McBennett to pull off an instinctive save and in the clamber for the loose ball, Monaghan won a relieving kick-out.

As Sheehan angled over his fifth point of the afternoon, after combining with Donaghy, calm was called for from the Monaghan side.

Despite losing Darren Hughes to a shoulder injury, they still had enough quality on the pitch to test Kerry in the four minutes of injury-time.

However, they could only conjure up one more point - a central free from Freeman, their talisman on the day.

So Kerry stubbornly remain in the race for Sam Maguire, but the holders are still trying to rediscover their form of previous years after league and Munster final defeats. Pat O'Shea needs more from his players and fast.

KERRY: D Murphy; P Reidy, M O Se, T O'Sullivan; T O Se, A O'Mahony (0-01), K Young; D O Se, S Scanlon (0-01); T Walsh (0-02), C Cooper (0-02, 0-01f), D Walsh; Declan O'Sullivan, K Donaghy (1-02), B Sheehan (0-05, 0-02f, 0-01 '45').

Subs used: E Brosnan for D Walsh (42 mins), T Griffin for Scanlon (58), Darren O'Sullivan for T Walsh (64), S O'Sullivan for Declan O'Sullivan (68), T Walsh for Donaghy (70+3).

MONAGHAN: P McBennett: D Mone, JP Mone, D McArdle; D Freeman, G McQuaid (0-02), C McManus; E Lennon (0-01), D Clerkin; S Gollogly, P Finlay (0-02, 0-02f), V Corey (0-01); C Hanratty, R Woods (0-02), T Freeman (0-05, 0-03f).

Subs used: D Hughes for Clerkin (57 mins), R Ronaghan for McManus (59), P McGuigan for Hughes (61), S Smyth for Gollogly (70).

Referee: Maurice Deegan (Laois)