Ross County advanced to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup thanks to a 6-2 win against Dundee United in misty conditions at Victoria Park.
The game had been in doubt prior to the match due to the thick fog which seriously affected visibility throughout the afternoon, however County raced into a convincing first-half lead thanks to goals from Christopher Routis, Paul Quinn, Tim Chow and Liam Boyce, with Tony Andreu pulling back two goals for United.
Routis’ second and a debut goal from substitute Jim O’Brien sealed the victory for the Staggies, making sure of their place in Sunday’s fifth round draw.
County made one change from the side that defeated Highland rivals Caley Thistle 3-2 in their Hogmanay derby encounter, with skipper Quinn replacing Andrew Davies.
The Staggies took the lead in stunning style after just six minutes, when Martin Woods’ corner picked out the unmarked Routis on the edge of the box, with the Frenchman taking a touch before lashing past Cammy Bell from 20 yards.
United responded with an equally spectacular goal on 14 minutes however, when Quinn was robbed of the ball on the edge of his own box, before Tope Obadeyi delivered for Andreu to rifle past Scott Fox from 15 yards.
County’s response was instant however, as they restored their lead less than two minutes later. Alex Schalk’s curling free-kick was palmed only half clear by Bell, however Quinn was on hand to nod home the rebound.
United’s supporters were clearly disgruntled about the lack of action they could see, as they attempted to pressure referee Kevin Clancy into calling an abandonment. It went from bad to worse for the Tangerines on 28 minutes though, when Chow guided the ball home following Routis’ cut-back from the left.
County showed no signs of letting up, and they added a fourth just three minutes later, when Woods released Boyce down the right, before he cut inside on to his left foot and bent a low shot into the far corner.
The Staggies were cruising, but United were gifted a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Routis played the ball straight into the path of Andreu, who made no mistake in firing past Fox.
The goal came as a huge lift to the visitors, and they went at County in search of further goals in the second-half, coming closest when Andreu let fly with a shot from long-range which drifted just past the post.
The Staggies wrapped up the victory on 77 minutes when O’Brien held the ball up for Routis, whose initial shot was saved by Bell, however the midfielder was on hand to tap home the rebound for his second of the day.
O’Brien, who had come on at half-time, added a sixth goal in stoppage time when he hammered home after being picked out by Boyce to complete an enjoyable afternoon for the Dingwall men.
