An emphatic second-half performance – which saw the Hibees score three times – ensured safe passage to the next round and sent the 1,500 travelling supporters back down the A9 in good spirits.
Myziane Maolida, Martin Boyle and Elie Youan were all on target at the Caledonian Stadium, before Aaron Doran pulled back a late consolation goal with the last kick of the match, in what was a professional display from Nick Montgomery's side.
As it happened…
Nick Montgomery made three changes to the team that narrowly lost out to Celtic in midweek, with Luke Amos and Eliezer Mayenda making their first starts for the Club and Myziane Maolida returning to the starting XI to lead the line.
The Hibees started the game on the front foot, with Martin Boyle and Mayenda looking lively on either flank. Inside the opening five minutes, Boyle whipped in a dangerous cross across the box which was cleared away to safety – an early warning sign for the hosts.
Boyle had another sighting of goal five minutes later when he was quick to pounce on a stray pass from Inverness goalkeeper Mark Ridgers. Boyle got the ball out of his feet but fired his effort over the bar from distance.
Amos was next to get a glimpse of the Inverness goal, the ball fell to the midfielder on the edge of the box but he was slightly off balance and pulled his shot wide of the far post.
The best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell to Eliezer Mayenda. The forward showed great awareness to cut in from the right-hand side and fire a curling effort towards the far post, but Ridgers got two strong hands to it and parried away to safety.
After a spell of early pressure from the Hibees, the hosts began to get a foothold in the game, enjoying their first decent spell of possession but without troubling David Marshall in the Hibs goal.
Joe Newell began to assert his dominance in midfield as the game progressed and showed great vision to pick out Boyle with a pin-point pass. The Australian international took it in his stride and hit it on the half-volley but his effort was blocked and ricocheted out for a corner.
As half-time approached, we began to play with a bit more urgency and ask more questions of the Inverness defence. Jordan Obita did brilliantly to nut-meg his man before whipping in an inviting ball which was well blocked at the front post by James Carragher – son of Jamie Carragher, who watched on from the stands.
The final chance of the half fell to Joe Newell, with the ball landing at the Hibs captain’s feet at the edge of the area. Joe caught it sweetly with the outside of his boot, but his effort curled just wide and the referee brought the opening 45 to a close.
Half Time: Inverness 0 Hibs 0
Monty rang the changes at half-time with Elie Youan and Dylan Levitt introduced for Mayenda and Amos.
The gaffer’s half-time team talk clearly inspire the lads as we came out with much more energy and intensity in the second period, with Youan and Maolida looking dangerous.
On 54 minutes we broke the deadlock – courtesy of Myziane Maolida. Moriah-Welsh did well to win the ball back inside Inverness territory, before finding Levitt who picked out Maolida. The Comoros international got the ball out of his feet with his shot taking a deflection to loop it over Mark Ridgers and into the back of the net.
The goal gave the Hibees confidence and Dylan Levitt nearly added a second moments later. This time it was Maolida who nearly returned the favour, knocking the ball back to Levitt whose side-footed effort produced a smart stop from Ridgers.
The hosts had their first real chance of the cup-tie midway through the second half when the ball dropped to substitute Austin Samuels in the penalty area. Fortunately for the Hibees, Samuels fluffed his lines with the ball trickling harmlessly wide.
Hibs then had two chances in as many minutes to double our advantage. The first fell to Youan who showed quick feet to move the ball onto his right before firing straight at Ridgers. Moments later, Boyle pulled a shot narrowly wide of the far post after Moriah-Welsh picked him out on the edge of the area.
The 1,500 Hibs supporters then had their hearts in the mouths when Cammy Kerr got on the end of a cross from the left hand-side. Kerr met it well and headed it back across goal and over David Marshall, with the ball bouncing off the top of the bar and away to safety.
Referee Colin Steven then waved away claims from the home support for a penalty after Lewis Miller challenged Cameron Harper, in what was the home side's most threatening spell of the match.
But the Hibees hit back scoring a vital second goal with just over 10 minutes to play. David Marshall launched a ball over the top in the direction of Martin Boyle which was not dealt with by Inverness defender Morgan Boyes.
Boyler capitalised and found himself through on goal, showing great composure to take the ball round Mark Ridgers and slot the ball into the empty net from an acute angle.
Boyle then turned from goal scorer to provider, unselfishly squaring the ball in the penalty area to Elie Youan who tapped it home to add the gloss to the victory in the 90th minute.
In the fourth minute of additional time, the home side had something to cheer. Substitute Aaron Doran produced a moment of brilliance, meeting a deep cross on the volley, with his effort curling past David Marshall with the last kick of the match.
Full time: Inverness 1 Hibernian 3
