Donegal gained a slender one-point win over a battling Tipperary side before a small crowd of just 471 spectators at Semple Stadium on Saturday night.
The visitors led by 0-06 to 1-01 at the interval, with Stephen Hahessy netting a 21st-minute goal for Tipp.
Donegal regained the initiative on the restart with a Stephen Griffin goal, and good scores from Michael Murphy pushed them 1-09 to 1-03 clear by the 55th minute.
Tipperary rallied courtesy of a Robbie Costigan goal and Barry Grogan pointed to cut the deficit to the minimum, but Donegal stood firm to register their third win of the Division 2 campaign.
After their impressive win over Meath last weekend, Tipperary were eager to claim back-to-back victories in Thurles, but John Evans charges fell agonisingly short at the finish.
The Premier County set an early marker with a goal chance in the opening two minutes. Grogan was denied after he went one-on-one with Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan. He dribbled the ball soccer-style towards the goalmouth, but Durcan pulled off a superb save.
Donegal edged ahead after three minutes, with young target man Michael Murphy scoring the first of his four first-half points, but Philip Austin equalised from his left boot in the seventh minute.
This was as close as Tipperary would get to Donegal during the opening half, as the visitors raced four points clear shortly afterwards.
Murphy was in superb form for John Joe Doherty's side as he claimed points in the ninth, 10th and 13th minutes, with Colm McFadden also on target to ensure a 0-05 to 0-01 lead as the game entered the second quarter.
Tipperary finished the first half strongly with Hahessy's goal bringing them back into contention. Hahessy lobbed a 45-metre free in, Durcan misjudged the flight of the ball and it drifted into the back of the net for a timely Tipp goal.
Scores were at a premium in the second quarter, with McFadden's 35th-minute free ensuring Donegal led by two points at half-time.
Despite his side's dominance of possession, John Joe Doherty was not very pleased to be only two points ahead at the break and he made some changes, with Frank McGlynn replacing Michael Maguire in defence, and Stephen Griffin introduced in attack for Adrian Hanlon.
Murphy slotted over his fifth point within three minutes of the restart, but Tipperary hit back with points from defender Costigan and full-forward Brian Coen to make it a one-point game by the 42nd minute.
Tipperary were dominating in all quarters at this stage but a resurgent Donegal bounced back. Again Murphy was the tormentor for the Tipperary defence, with Griffin thundering through for a 48th-minute goal.
Murphy calmly slotted two efforts over the crossbar in the 52nd and 55th minute to edge his side 1-09 to 1-03 in front, but Tipperary bounced back again to set up a grandstand finish.
Premier County captain Costigan led by example as his 56th-minute goal sprung the hosts back to life.
Barry Grogan continued to eat into the Donegal lead. He kicked two points from three attempts in the closing 12 minutes, including the final score in the 71st minute.
Despite four minutes of injury-time being played, Tipperary were unable to find an equaliser as Donegal somehow clung on to take the two league points on offer.
