Arbroath were led out by 100-year-old mascot Hilda Forrester but trudged off in despair after losing to a team that is half her age.
The Lichties crashed to defeat after a second-half Ousman See strike squirmed under the body of Ricky Gomes in the 82nd minute.
And while the loss left centurion Hilda without a late birthday present, it also left Arbroath boss Dick Campbell set to rip up his team for tomorrow’s Scottish Cup trip to Clyde.
“Will there be changes?” asked Campbell. “You can bet there will be changes to the team for Tuesday.
“Clyde away is a completely different prospect to what we’ve just faced and let’s be honest we absolutely deserved to lose to Edinburgh.
“They were the better side. They defended in numbers and we completely ran out of ideas.
“I warned the players about Edinburgh. I marked their cards two weeks ago that they weren’t pushovers but the message didn’t seem to get through.
“We were complacent and we only put in a half shift. I think my players should hand their wages back in after that.”
Campbell’s fury came as the Gayfield side created very little against a stubborn City defence.
Bobby Linn, normally so clinical as Arbroath’s key man, looked a shadow of his normal self as Arbroath found the back door firmly locked.
Mark Whatley had the hosts’ best chance to net when he blasted a 20-yard strike towards the bottom corner only for City keeper Andrew Stobie to turn the ball away to safety.
That save was to prove pivotal as See pounced on a defensive mix-up to slide home the winner.
Team-mate Douglas Gaier then cracked a 25-yard drive off the underside of the bar with City cruising to the win.