Brian Jensen saved a penalty as Burnley repelled the threat of Manchester United to record a sensational win on their first home match in the top flight since 1976.
Robbie Blake had put the hosts in front with a superb near-post volley, only to upend Patrice Evra at the other end just before the break.
Michael Carrick took responsibility ahead of Michael Owen. But Jensen denied him, making a fine stop to allow Burnley to celebrate an amazing night.
An early Patrice Evra cross flashed past Owen at the near post, then Park Ji-sung had a shot blocked, as did Wayne Rooney shortly afterwards.
United were denied a goal when Owen was flagged offside as he raced onto Evra's through ball and finished at the second attempt.
Record signing Steven Fletcher had Burnley's first opportunity but the Scotland international made a hash of it, not once but twice as he missed his intended volley before skying a second chance high over the bar.
Stephen Jordan was relieved to see the ball flash just wide as he darted in to halt Carrick's run on goal, only to hit his clearance rather too close to his own goal for comfort.
Carrick's mis-hit volley landed on the roof of the net when it bounced up after being driven straight into the ground.
Martin Paterson thought he had a clear sight of the United goal when he sprang the visitors' offside trap but Ben Foster blocked the shot, then Carrick flung himself in the way of Robbie Blake's follow-up.
Burnley maintained the pressure though. And when Evra could only nod a deep Jordan cross out to Blake, the veteran striker walloped a stunning shot past Foster at his near post to give Burnley the lead.
attempted curler
If Turf Moor had been noisy before, the volume reached ear-splitting proportions as the home fans celebrated.
Fletcher's acrobatic far-post volley whistled just wide as Owen Coyle's men maintained their offensive.
Rooney was off-target with an attempted curler at the other end as United tried to recover their poise.
Giggs came close to picking out Park with a lofted pass from halfway, then Rooney ran into a crowd of Burnley defenders as he looked to make a surge towards goal.
Chris McCann slid in to nick the ball away from Giggs as the 35-year-old tried to reach Anderson's impressive through ball.
Rooney's long-range effort bounced narrowly wide before Blake was booked for hauling back Giggs.
Another clear chance fell Owen's way eight minutes before the interval when Brown swung over a cross towards the unmarked striker, who completely missed his intended header.
Jensen cleared under pressure from Park, then Evans was forced to intervene as Wembley hero Wade Elliott threatened the United box.
United were getting on top though and, when Blake flew in late on Evra as the Frenchman tried to nip past him in the box, it seemed the visitors would go in level.
Instead, with Carrick taking the spot-kick rather than Owen, Jensen guessed the right way to preserve Burnley's lead.
penalty box
Ferguson resisted the temptation to make changes at the interval, preferring instead to let his players try to dig themselves out of the hole they found themselves in.
Blake sent a low free-kick fizzing wide at the other end after Brown had sent McCann flying on the edge of the area.
Jensen just got to Anderson's long ball before Rooney as the match opened out into an end-to-end duel.
Rooney then fired harmlessly over from long range with plenty of team-mates in better positions.
In between, Brown had to make a penalty box tackle to halt the impressive Paterson.
Ferguson finally made a change just before the hour mark, introducing Antonio Valencia for Anderson in a bid to inject some pace into his side.
Valencia definitely made a difference, and after the Ecuador wideman had nodded an Evra cross wide, Owen made way for Dimitar Berbatov.
Burnley went agonisingly close to a second goal when Fletcher's low cross rolled just behind Paterson, who would have had the goal at his mercy.
Two precise through-balls from Rooney almost created openings for Giggs and Evra. In between, Elliott tested Foster's reflexes with a 20-yard drive.
United kept pushing for an equaliser. But with Jensen in control, it never really looked like coming.
