Aberdeen showed the kind of bottle Celtic lacked against the same opposition to deny Inverness Caledonian Thistle's hopes of a double Scottish Cup tonic.

Bobby Mann's 50th-minute header put First Division Inverness on course for a surprise place in the quarter-finals, but, whereas their nerve held famously at Parkhead, at home it proved a different matter.

At once Inverness settled for keeping their advantage, a tactic which allowed Scottish Premier League Aberdeen to regroup and claim a replay when Cato Guntveit headed in with only 10 minutes remaining.

After their 3-1 triumph at Celtic Park, Inverness were always going to struggle to repeat such a high, but deserved their lead after dominating the opening half.

Without doubt they again emerged with credit, yet at the Caledonian Stadium they seemed too aware of what they were about to achieve meaning Aberdeen hit back and must now be favourites at Pittodrie.

With Hicham Zerouali on international duty with the Moroccan Olympic team, Kevin Rutkiewicz started in attack, while former Dons youngster Denis Wyness led the home frontline.

Inverness were without Canada international Richard Hastings needed for his country's Gold Cup bid, but still looked the more positive side from the outset.

The home team could have moved ahead after only three minutes when Charlie Christie picked out Mark McCulloch, but the skipper was slow to turn and Jim Leighton blocked the effort.

Inverness threatened again when Barry Wilson, who opened the scoring at Celtic, found time and space at the edge of the area, but Leighton was equal to his low shot.

Aberdeen were able to slow the frantic early tempo, but their quality of service from the flanks, with Arild Stavrum looking uncomfortable in a wide role, was limiting their progress.

It was Inverness who were creating the only outright chances and after a precise Paul Sheerin cross Ross Tokely should have done better with a free header he glanced wide of goal.

Christie's promptings from central midfield were offering Martin Bavidge scope on the right and from his pullback Wyness screwed a shot wide of the mark against his former club.

It was 36 minutes before Aberdeen had an opportunity of note, Guntveit squaring for Robbie Winters but he failed to connect properly and Jim Calder was able to save with relative ease.

Bavidge tried an angled drive which drifted over the bar at the other end, but the breakthrough was proving elusive despite the Highland outfit's impressive energy.

Aberdeen spurned their clearest chance of the half three minutes before the break when a Winters burst fed Rutkiewicz whose fierce shot forced a brilliant block from Calder to keep the deadlock.

Inverness took the second-half to Aberdeen in the same way as they did the first, but this time they found the goal to match their efforts through centre-half Mann.

Sheerin's corner was met firmly by Mann whose header was half-stopped by Leighton, but the Dons keeper could not prevent the ball finding its way past him into the net.

Aberdeen's response was sluggish and manager Ebbe Skovdahl withdrew Rutkiewicz and sent on Rachid Belabed as the Dons sought to produce the kind of recovery which proved beyond Celtic.

Stavrum released Dow on the left on the hour mark but his driven cross across the face of goal was turned just over his own bar by a sliding Mike Teasdale.

Belabed almost made an instant impact after 65 minutes when set up for a long distance effort by Dow, sending his shot narrowly wide with Calder seemingly beaten in the Inverness goal.

The balance of play had now shifted in the Dons' favour as Inverness sat back on their lead and Winters almost punished them with a flicked header off-target on 68 minutes.

Aberdeen looked to have levelled on 76 minutes when Winters' cross from the left found Stavrum whose downward header was goalward bound until an astonishing save from veteran Calder.

But four minutes later it was 1-1 when the Dons' pressure finally paid off as substitute Chris Clark swung the ball in from the left and Guntveit headed in from close range.

Inverness spurned a chance to regain the lead with just four minutes remaining when Wilson sent a free header wide of Leighton but also the post when a goal was beckoning.

Teams

Inverness CT: Calder, Tokely, Golabek, Teasdale, Mann, Sheerin, Bavidge (Byers 76), McCulloch, Wilson, Christie,Wyness (Glancy 90).

Subs Not Used: Hind.

Booked: Mann.

Goals: Mann 50.

Aberdeen: Leighton, Whyte, Solberg, Anderson, McAllister (Clark 76), Bernard, Dow, Guntveit, Stavrum, Rutkiewicz (Belabed 58), Winters (Perry 88).

Booked: Guntveit, Anderson.

Goals: Guntveit 80.

Att: 6,290

Ref: Kenny Clark (Scotland).