Jordan Roberts scored a stunning injury time winner as Scottish Cup holders Caley Thistle progressed to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win at Motherwell.
The Inverness men were in front at the break thanks to a Stephen McManus own goal but the Fir Park side got back on level terms after 67 minutes through Scott McDonald’s close-range strike.
With the match looking destined for a replay, Caley Thistle substitute Roberts popped up with an excellent long-range effort to win the tie for the Inverness men.
Caley Thistle were unchanged from the team that drew 0-0 with Partick Thistle, although there was a place on the bench for new signings Ryan Williams and Liam Hughes.
Motherwell made the better start to proceedings and went close to breaking the deadlock when Marvin Johnson’s firmly struck volley was bravely blocked by Gary Warren.
Inverness soon settled with Greg Tansey testing Connor Ripley with a curling free kick that lacked the pace to seriously trouble the Motherwell goalkeeper.
It was a dull start but the match finally sparked into life after 29 minutes when Carl Tremarco almost marked his contract extension with a goal only for his header from Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo’s cross to bounce back off the cross bar.
Motherwell denied by the woodwork soon after with Johnson picking out Scott McDonald with a vicious delivery that was headed onto the bar.
But it was the visitors who took the lead six minutes before the break when Tremarco fizzed a low cross into the area and the ball was turned into his own goal by Well captain McManus under pressure from Miles Storey.
Motherwell went close to restoring parity after the restart with McDonald denied by Owain Fon Williams before Stephen Pearson somehow failed to connect with a Chris Cadden cross with the goal at his mercy.
The hosts were pushing forward in numbers and they were almost caught on the counter-attack when Storey pounced on a Steven Hammell error before crossing for Danny Williams but his deflected effort was comfortably gathered by Ripley.
Motherwell had another let-off after 65 minutes when Storey again crossed for Williams but again Ripley came to the rescue for the Steelmen.
The Caley Jags were to rue that miss when Mark McGhee’s side drew level two minutes later with McDonald guiding a McManus header home from close range.
Caley Thistle’s late signing Hughes came on for Iain Vigurs in the final moments but it was Roberts who stole the show with a stunning left-foot strike from 20 yards that found the top corner to win the match in injury time.