Airdrie needed penalty kicks to see off Arbroath after a six-goal Scottish Cup thriller at the Albert Bartlett.

The Red Lichties thrice came from behind, but Airdrie will feel they deserve to be through to the fifth round given that two of the Angus side’s equalisers came via big deflections.

Charlie Telfer replaced the injured Gavin Gallagher in the only change to the side that drew with Ayr United last weekend, though Sean McGinty and Scott Constable returned to the bench after injury.

Lewis Strapp, Airdrie’s late scorer in the last meeting between the sides, tested Aidan McAdams with a shot inside the first minute, but the Arbroath keeper gathered.

Aidan Wilson saw a header deflected back to McAdams after getting on the end of a seventh-minute Telfer free-kick, and the visitors had to defend well to keep Euan Henderson at bay as Airdrie dominated the early stages.

There was no denying Henderson on 12 minutes, Cole McKinnon switching play after skipping past his man, Strapp finding Jamie Barjonas in the box, and a deft touch teeing up the Diamonds top scorer to curl home a beautiful opener.

Wilson beat Taylor Steven to a 15th-minute ball down the channel, heading back to Harry Stone. The Airdrie keeper was in action again a minute later, getting down to a Jacob McIntyre shot.

Strapp had a 25th-minute cross hacked away before Telfer saw his effort deflected back to McAdams on the half-hour.

MacIntyre created space for himself four minutes later, but his shooting let him down as he fired well over the bar.

Ten minutes from the break Telfer was denied by a good last-ditch block before McAdams pushed away a Barjonas effort.

Airdrie’s penalty claims were ignored as Barjonas was pulled down chasing a 44th-minute Chris Mochrie pass, and the Diamonds had to settle for a one-goal lead at the break.

The visitors seized control early in the second half, Stone collecting to end a promising passing move on 48 minutes.

The equaliser did come three minutes later, a superb Muirhead pass releasing Steven, who drilled the ball across for Gavin Reilly to turn home from inside the six-yard box.

Reilly almost put his side in front three minutes later, his header across goal drifting just wide of the post, but it was Airdrie who had a golden opportunity on 55 minutes.

A pass over the top left Henderson in a footrace with Aaron Muirhead, who tangled clumsily with the Airdrie striker and left referee Calum Scott with no option but to point at the spot.

Henderson stepped up to put away the spot-kick for his 15th goal of the season.

MacIntyre again did well up until the finish on 64 minutes, beating two men before blazing his shot over the top, with Findlay Marshall repeating the feat four minutes later.

Arbroath sub Dapo Mebude was looking for a penalty on 75 minutes, but the former Rangers youth went down too easily and his appeals were waved away.

Steven and Henderson exchanged efforts which were easily handled by the goalkeepers, but with six minutes of regulation time remaining Stone was beaten again – this time by a huge slice of bad luck as substitute Tom Beadling sent in a 25-yard strike which took a huge deflection and rolled into the net with the Airdrie keeper heading the other way.

McMaster was dispossessed in the box on 87 minutes, but it was adjudged to have been a foul and the resultant goal was chalked off.

Beadling tried his luck from distance again as the clock ticked down, but this time the strike went wide, meaning extra-time lay ahead.

Dylan MacDonald and Thomas O’Brien defended well as early half-chances were exchanged, with McAdams holding a close-range Craig Ross header on 95 minutes before the defender denied Mebude with a well-timed sliding challenge.

Airdrie launched a devastating counter on 98 minutes, McMaster picking out Henderson, who found McKinnon’s overlapping run. As the ball was cut back, McMaster had continued his run and slammed home to put the Diamonds 3-2 ahead.

Ex-Diamond Scott Stewart got the Lichties’ third equaliser, rising to meet a 109th-minute corner kick and seeing his header skew off a defender to wrongfoot Stone for the second time.

With two minutes of extra-time remaining Henderson thought he had bagged his hat-trick as he flicked home a header from substitute Sean McGinty – and replays show he should have as the offside flag which ruled out the goal was incorrect.

A late overhead kick from McGinty was deflected wide, and the tie had to be settled by penalty kicks.

Henderson scored Airdrie’s first before Stone saved well from Ross Callachan. Barjonas and Nikolay Todorov both found the net, but McAdams saved Jake Hastie’s effort.

Jack Wilkie netted to level the score, but Lewis McGrattan edged the Diamonds in front once again.

Up stepped former Airdrie man Craig Watson to thump his spot-kick down the middle, only for Stone to save brilliantly with an outstretched boot.

McMaster kept his cool to slot away a fine penalty and send the Diamonds into the fifth-round draw tomorrow evening.