I'll say goodbye now on what was a good night for Scotland. Top of Group F with a healthy goals for balance, you can't ask for any more.

There were a few shaky moments in the first hour but there were a number of positives, not least the return of Robert Snodgrass, who helped himself to a memorable hat-trick.

Thanks for your company and all of your contributions.

Image source, SNS

Scotland boss Gordon Strachan: "We played closer to each other in the second half and their mentality shone and their ability shone. It's been a good night; stressful at one point.

"We're lucky we have a bunch of lads that can deal with the anxiety that manifests itself at 1-1.

"I thought Barry Bannan was excellent under pressure, Matt Ritchie, Robert Snodgrass and Darren Fletcher as well."

We're still waiting to hear from Scotland manager Gordon Strachan. He needs to hurry up, the BBC Radio Scotland team are getting a tad carried away, plotting our road to Russia in 2018. It's a good start but much stiffer tests await...

Rob Maclean
BBC Scotland

"That was a much more relaxed end to the game than I think we were expecting after a sometimes twitchy first half. Chances taken after the interval. Penalty gift helped. And two red cards for Malta. But three points and five goals will do nicely. Snodgrass and Ritchie were big players."

In his post-match assessment, Malta boss Pietro Ghedin is full of praise for Scotland and demonstrates commendable restraint when asked about the performance of the referee.

"You need to go for 90 minutes, not 45 or 60," says the Italian.

Image source, SNS

Malta were absolutely seething with a sense of injustice during that second half. They felt the ball should have been knocked out of play for a foul in the build up to Scotland's second goal and the penalty and red card for the third will need an X-Files investigation since it was so bizarre.

I hope Robert Snodgrass got his hands on the match ball as a memento of his hat-trick. Referee Yevhen Aranovskiy of Ukraine was not for giving it up after blowing the final whistle.

There's probably some daft Fifa protocol banning an exchange on the pitch.

Well, we may have been grumbling a bit at half time but Scotland are now perched nicely at the top of Group F.

There was a degree of fortune about it, with the opener a cross that drifted in and the penalty for the third was simply crazy but there's no doubt Scotland merit three points.

Who next? Lithuania at Hampden on 8 October.

It just gets worse for the hosts... Luke Gambin is sent packing for a nasty kick at hat-trick hero Robert Snodgrass. He actually had two swipes after the pair had slid in to contest a ball in the centre circle. That's Malta down to nine men.

The table looks pretty good at the moment...

Rob Maclean
BBC Scotland

"Let's freeze that Group F table right there. Scotland on top. England playing second fiddle after that lucky late goal in Slovakia."

Last change for Scotland and Ikechi Anya will get a run out, replacing Matt Ritchie, who played the pass of the night for the second goal.