Inverness CT 0
Dundee Utd 5
Scottish Cup (Quarter Final)

Match Report

United turned out an expert performance this afternoon to reach the Scottish Cup semi final with a dominant 5-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, sending their large and very noisy travelling support home with one of the most enjoyable Scottish Cup days since the final of 2010 added to the memory bank.

The first half provided non-stop entertainment for the Arabs in attendance. Nadir Ciftci opened the scoring after a quarter hour's play. Nodding the ball past Brill in the Inverness goal, he calmly squeezed the ball home from an angle to make it 1-0, leaving Josh Meekings chasing a lost cause. A calamitous error at the back for Inverness saw Ciftci score a second just nine minutes later when Brill shot into Meekings' back, leaving the United striker to turn the ball into the net from a couple of yards. United's top marksman was involved again on 35 minutes when he was felled in the box by Graeme Shinnie and from the resultant penalty kick, Gavin Gunning rifled the ball home for his 4th goal in 3 games. The half was rounded off with a straight red card for Greg Tansey for a foul on Paul Paton.

The second half continued as the first had ended with goals for United. Hitting Inverness on the break following an unsuccessful David Raven free-kick, Gary Mackay-Steven picked the ball up from Stuart Armstrong to slot the ball home with the coolest of left foot finishes to make it 4-0 after 49 minutes. Inverness were all at sea. The final goal of the game was netted just before the hour mark when a cross from Keith Watson found the head of Stuart Armstrong for the midfielder's 8th of the season. The scoring ended at five, and despite seeing the game out with comfortable spells of possession and lovely football, the Terrors couldn't find the sixth goal that would have handed them their biggest win this century. Inverness numbers were further reduced with 20 minutes remaining when Marley Watkins was dismissed for dangerous play. Not only does the result send United into the Scottish Cup semi final, but the 5-0 scoreline marks Jackie McNamara's biggest win as United manager and also sees United secure their first clean sheet this side of Christmas.