Arbroath 1-3 Hibs: Many expected Hibees to slip up - how they answered their critics with trio particularly impressive

This was supposed to be the big banana skin in the Scottish Cup fifth round. Struggling Hibs of the Premiership, travelling north on a wet Sunday lunchtime to face Arbroath, the surprise leaders of the Championship and the new darlings of Scottish football, live on terrestrial television.

And after just six minutes, it appeared that Hibs were on their way to slipping up, trailing 1-0 thanks to a Craig Wighton strike. However, to their immense credit, Shaun Maloney's men recovered and, via goals from Demetri Mitchell, Kevin Nisbet and Chris Mueller, recorded a 3-1 win to book their place in the quarter-finals.

Hibs’ league form has been underwhelming, without a win in six matches, but they continue to be dab hands in the cup. It’s rare that they are not at Hampden at some point in a campaign, stretching back to the tenures of Alan Stubbs, Neil Lennon, Paul Heckingbottom and Jack Ross, and had last season’s runners-up not progressed here, further questions would have been asked of Maloney.

It has not been a straightforward start for the 39-year-old at Easter Road. A number of new signings needing to bed in, the sale of key forward Martin Boyle and inheriting a squad that were already underperforming under his predecessor Ross. This win will not assuage all the concerns of his doubters, of which there are already a few in the Hibs support, but it keeps their participation in the competition alive and provides a platform to build upon when the league resumes next weekend.

Hibs were good here, in testing conditions. Arbroath are buoyant, two points clear at the summit of the Championship with a game in hand, just 12 matches from the finishing line. The part-timers have caught the imagination of Scottish football fans, and