A fabulous first-half hat-trick from Cammy Smith fired Dundee United into the Betfred Cup quarter-finals at Tannadice.
Partick Thistle may be an in-form Premiership side but they were well beaten as the Tangerines produced their best performance in a long, long time.
Now United’s players will wait with anticipation for the last-eight draw, which is being made after the Celtic v Motherwell tie at Parkhead.
They got off to the perfect start on 10 minutes when the on-loan Aberdeen man put them 1-0 up.
Smith then decided it was to be his night and he banged in goal number two on 27 minutes before adding a penalty on the half-hour mark.
Partick pulled one back from the spot on 64 minutes, with Sean Welsh on target for the visitors but United saw the game out.
The Tangerines had made three changes to the team that lined up against Queen of the South in the Championship curtain-raiser on Saturday.
Out went the suspended Nick van der Velden, while Sean Dillon and Simon Murray dropped to the bench.
Lewis Toshney had shaken off his calf injury so slotted in at right-back, Scott Fraser was back after his league ban to take Van der Velden’s place, while Blair Spittal was given the nod on the left to leave Tope Obadeyi leading the attack with just Smith behind him.
Mathias Pogba, brother of the world’s most expensive player Paul, had to make do with a place of the Jags’ bench.
United, skippered by Willo Flood, were on the front foot from the off.
On eight minutes, Fraser took aim from just outside the Thistle box and his shot was deflected wide.
A mere two minutes later, it was 1-0 to the home team – a fitting reward for their enterprising start.
Fraser was alert when Thistle’s Kris Doolan played a square ball inside the centre circle. He raced forward and appeared to have delayed his forward pass too long.
However, he made it just in time and picked out Smith, who rolled the ball past keeper Ryan Scully.
United kept the pace up and, on 13 minutes, Mark Durnan headed over from close range.
Obadeyi then stung the hands of the diving Scully with a low drive after cutting in from the right before Partick finally got up the park and former Tannadice man Chris Erskine blasted over.
Danny Devine headed over for Partick from Sean Welsh’s freekick on 23 minutes – a lucky escape for the hosts – but the play was soon up at the other end.
United were two up on 27 minutes and it was another excellent goal from Smith.
Obadeyi did superbly well to headflick the ball into Smith’s path and he raced clear of the Thistle defence, rounded Scully then placed the ball into the empty net.
Remarkably, it was 3-0 and a hat-trick for Smith – with just half-an-hour gone!
It was he who started off the move that would lead to a penalty, with his strike parried by Scully.
Spittal pounced on the loose ball and his shot hit the hand of Thistle’s Ziggy Gordon. Smith stepped up to bag his treble with a spotkick that gave the goalie no chance.
The pressure from the Tangerines was unrelenting and Spittal forced Scully into a good save on 33 minutes then, two minutes before the break, the keeper pushed an Obadeyi rocket shot over the bar.
An action-packed half wasn’t finished yet, though, and Obadeyi smashed a right-foot shot off the post then United keeper Cammy Bell did well to save from Jags’ sub Ade Azeez.
Spittal had the first serious chance of the second period on 55 minutes when he cut inside the box before curling in a shot that Scully had to push away for a corner.
Thistle then pulled a goal back on 64 minutes when Toshney fouled Erskine to concede a penalty. Welsh stepped up to place the kick past Bell.
Obadeyi should have made absolutely sure for the home team on 76 minutes when he was through on goal but he tried to round Scully and the goalie did well to steal the ball from his feet.
With six minutes to go Murray, who had replaced goal hero Smith, had a low drive saved by Scully and that was pretty much that.
Attendance: 5,036.
Dundee United: Bell, Durnan, Donaldson, Toshney (Dillon 74), Spittal, Murdoch, Fraser (Telfer 86), Obadeyi, Smith (Murray 79), Flood, Robson. Subs not used: Zwick, Johnson, Coote, Sukar.
Partick Thistle: Scully, Booth, Welsh, Osman, Amoo (Azeez 39), Doolan (Pogba 78), Erskine, Lawless, Devine, Syme (Edwards 57), Gordon. Subs not used: Crawford, Wilson, McDaid.
Referee: Steven McLean.
