Dundee United booked a Challenge Cup final place with a hard-fought victory over Queen of the South at Palmerston.
Strikes from Charlie Telfer, Scott Fraser and Tony Andreu in the first 35 minutes looked to have this semi-final won by the interval, but the Tangerines still had to work hard  against a spirited home side who pulled two goals back in the second half.
United made four changes from the team that went down to Falkirk a week ago.
In came William Edjenguele, Sean Dillon, Telfer and Simon Murray. Out went injured pair Blair Spittal and Lewis Toshney, while Mark Durnan and Thomas Mikkelsen dropped to the bench.
There was a scare inside the first minute when Stephen Dobbie intercepted a slack Telfer pass, but his shot was blocked. Seconds short of the three minute mark Telfer more than made amends for that error as he fired United ahead.
Home defender Andy Dowie failed to clear inside his own box and Telfer was there to shoot home from ten yards.
The dream start continued as the second goal came in the 11th minute.
Andreu won the ball just a few yards from the Queens goal after more slack defending. He rolled it back to Murray whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Fraser and he saw his first effort brilliantly saved by Lee Robinson. Again the ball came back to Fraser and this time he calmly sent it into the back of the net.
As well as Ray McKinnon’s men were doing, there was work to be done and within minutes of that second goal Dobbie and Darren Brownlie had gone close for the home side. Dobbie went close again with a low 20-yard drive that rolled a foot wide.
But while Queens were having near things, United were hitting the back of the net and just over ten minutes from half-time it was three.
A fine move started by skipper Sean Dillon deep in his own half, ended with a Murray cut back that allowed Andreu to produce a sublime finish as he curled the ball home from 16 yards.
At the start of the second half it was almost four as Murray blasted a shot from way out on the left and Robinson was forced to tip the ball over.
In the 51st minute the home side grabbed some hope when danger man Dobbie pulled a goal back.
The home scorer went from hero to zero on the hour mark when, after a goal-line scramble, he blasted over from only a few yards. It was the kind of chance a man of his ability would expect to score ten times out of ten.
Derek Lyle did get a second goal for the Doonhamers in injury time, but this was United’s night and they can now look forward to the final against St Mirren or Welsh champions TNS next month.
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