Edinburgh - 23 Ulster - 31: Ulster went into the contest with the best away record in the Celtic League this season and this convincing win in front of 3,559 spectators at Murrayfield could prove one of their most significant.
Mark McCall's side outscored their hosts three tries to two and, more important, leapfrogged them into second place, two points behind Munster, who play Glasgow in Limerick today and visit Ravenhill in two weeks' time.
The visitors showed ruthlessness, happy to soak up pressure and then strike.
Once again Ulster found Andrew Maxwell as their willing finisher. The wing skipped over for a brace, taking his total to six tries in three games. Andrew Trimble had another huge game as did David Humphreys.
He landed three penalties and two conversions, but it was his counterattacking instinct that provided the platform for victory.
The pack too did serious damage, the frontrow enjoying a huge game. Two of Ulster's tries came from set-piece dominance.
Having weathered an early storm, Ulster took the lead when Humphreys charged down and gathered from a kick by Rory Lawson from the base of a retreating scrum. Following support from Stephen Ferris, Maxwell raced over in the eighth minute. Humphreys added the conversion and then traded penalties with Duncan Hodge, who added a second soon after.
But after another break out led to the sinbinning of Edinburgh's David Callam, Ulster struck again from a huge scrum, Isaac Boss scoring the pushover try.
Another superb break by Boss culminated in points, Humphreys converting his second penalty in the 48th minute to give Ulster a 14-point lead.
Humphreys and Hodge again swapped penalties but Ulster lost Simon Best to a yellow card and conceded a penalty try to bring the game alive.
Ulster's response was impressive, Maxwell's touching down from Boss's chip ahead and Humphreys posting a third penalty. A converted try by Hodge at the death made little difference.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 8 mins: A Maxwell try, D Humphreys con, 0-7; 14: Humphreys pen, 0-10; 17: D Hodge pen, 3-10; 27: Hodge pen, 6-10; 32: I Boss try, Humphreys con, 6-17; 49: Humphreys pen, 6-20; 51: Hodge pen, 9-20; 66: Maxwell try; 74: Humphreys pen, 16-31; 76: Hodge try and con, 23-31;
EDINBURGH: F Leonelli; S Webster, P Godman, M Dey, M Pyke, D Hodge, R Lawson; A Jacobsen, A Kelly, A Dickinson, S Strokosch, D Duley, M Mustchin, S Cross, D Callam. Replacements: C Smith for Dickinson (36 mins), D Hall for Kelly (49 mins), A McDonald for Cross (55 mins), P Jorgensen for Dey, N De Luca for Pyke (both 60 mins), F Pringle for Strokosch (74 mins). Sinbinned: D Callam (30 mins).
ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, A Trimble, P Steinmetz, A Maxwell; D Humphreys, I Boss; B Young, R Best, S Best, J Harrison, M McCullough, N Best, S Ferris, R Wilson. Replacements: J Bell for Topping, J Fitzpatrick for Young (both 55 mins), N McMillan for Ferris (60 mins), Young for McMillan (65-71 mins), N Brady for R Best, K Campbell for Boss, R Frost for McCullough (all 74 mins). Sinbinned: S Best (61 mins), A Maxwell (69 mins).
Referee: N Whitehouse (WRU).
