Hamilton Academical 1-2 Greenock Morton

Jai Quitongo - son of former Hamilton player Jose - scored Morton's winner

Morton continued to be the bane of top-flight sides as they knocked Hamilton out of the League Cup with a performance of verve and courage.

Playing brisk, artful football, they came from behind after conceding an early penalty that Dougie Imrie netted.

The hosts needed keeper Remi Matthews to hold Morton at bay, but he was helpless in the second half when beaten by Ross Forbes' exquisite free-kick.

And Jai Quitongo, a handful throughout, scored the winner against his old club.

Morton's threat was evident even before kick-off. They were unbeaten in the first-round group stage, which included a win over Kilmarnock, while in the last campaign they knocked Motherwell out of the Scottish Cup and reached the last 16 of both major cup competitions.

There was youthful promise in their team, but also a foundation of self-belief.

They had to show mental strength, though, to overcome the early set-back of conceding a penalty. There was crispness to Hamilton's play as Ali Crawford played Imrie into the box, and as Lee Kilday came across to meet him shoulder-to-shoulder, Imrie fell to the ground.

The forward picked himself up to score from the spot, while Morton manager Jim Duffy continued to rage against the decision.

His players were also irked but they did not allow it to upset their rhythm and Hamilton had to rely on the agility of Matthews.

He pushed Gary Oliver's shot wide, blocked a Quitongo effort with his legs and leapt to save a flying Michael Tidser header. The latter also saw a clipped volley bounce off the top of the crossbar as Morton continued to press forward.

Louis Longridge managed a couple of efforts in response but the balance of chances was in Morton's favour. They needed to turn that into goals and their patience was rewarded.

Hamilton's defensive fragility was laid bare as Georgios Sarris failed to clear from the edge of the box and the visitors won a free-kick. From 19 yards out, Forbes expertly curled the ball into the net.

Four minutes later, Quitongo burst through, after Michael Devlin failed to deal with a simple ball over the top, and the striker lashed a shot over Matthews into the net.

The remainder of the game was a battle of wills, with few chances created, as Morton saw the game out impressively.

Hamilton Academical player-manager Martin Canning: "We didn't control the ball well enough. Morton were the better team, they worked harder and they wanted it more. Our quality on the ball was poor and we got what we deserved.

"I don't know if, after we scored, we just thought we were going to go on and win the game comfortably, which is never going to be the case. Too many maybe thought that was the game won. There's scope to bring in four players, and we're looking, but they've got to be guys who improve us. We played two guys who weren't strikers, so we know what we need."

Morton manager Jim Duffy: "I don't think anyone can deny that we were the better team and deserve to be in the quarter-finals. We had more shots on goal, their keeper had more saves, we hit the bar and there was a very contentious decision against us for the penalty.

"The players have to be complimented for the quality of their play and their strength of character. [Jai Quitongo] had a couple of great chances in the first half, and then he score a goal. If you keep asking the question as a striker you eventually get your reward.

"We've had to defeat two Premiership sides in Kilmarnock and Hamilton to get to the quarter-finals, so the players deserve credit. We'll enjoy our night and calm down again tomorrow."