It was far from a perfect display for Hearts against East Fife, but their midfielders came up trumps during dramatic 3-2 win.
Robbie Neilson 's men were two goals up after just two minutes thanks to Olly Lee 's quickfire strikes that left their League One opponents reeling.
But instead of exercising their control on the game, they wilted a bit under pressure after East Fife woke up and saw their advantage cut thanks to Jack Hamilton's close range strike.
They were lucky not to go in level at the break after Ross Stewart saved well from Ryan Wallace.
Things looked to be back on track after the break however, thanks to Irving's outstanding effort.
The 20-year-old collected possession fully thirty yards out, taking a touch before smashing a brilliant swerving strike into the far corner to leave Jordan Hart grasping at thin air.
Irving has shown before that his shooting from distance with his left foot can be a source of goals for Hearts, but this was the pick of the bunch.
And it ended up being vital as the Fifers hit back quickly through Wallace to make it 3-2, and the Championship side had to suffer a couple of late scares before the final whistle confirmed their status as group winners and their place in the last 16 draw.
