Kevin Lisbie, Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient 4 Carlisle Utd 1

Orient maintained their late play-off push as they saw off 10-man Carlisle to move within three points of the top six.

Romain Vincelot put the Os ahead with his first goal for the club before Shaun Batt doubled the lead and Kevin Lisbie made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after the Us had goalkeeper Mark Gillespie sent off.

Matty Robson pulled one back for the visitors, but that was not enough to deny Russell Slade’s side, with Dean Cox adding a late fourth goal to seal their fourth win in five games.

Despite swamp-like conditions following the heavy rain, Orient started well as Lee Cook’s corner picked out Nathan Clarke at the far post and Gillespie did well to push his header behind.

Gillespie was perhaps fortunate to escape with just a yellow card after he picked up Danny Livesey’s miscued clearance outside the penalty area, and the Os failed to capitalise, with Martin Rowlands’ free-kick thudding into the wall.

But Rowlands then made a crucial contribution at the other end, blocking Robson’s effort on the line after Leon McSweeney’s attempted clearance had bounced off the post.

Apart from a tip-over save from Carlisle’s Brad Potts, there was little for Os’ keeper Jamie Jones to do as his side seized control with two goals before half-time.

The opener came on 32 minutes as Cox got away on the right-hand side and whipped over a cross that Vincelot arrived to head home from close range.

And Orient went 2-0 up in first-half stoppage time when the visitors failed to clear Cook’s initial effort and the ball spun back to the winger, who played it into the six-yard box for Batt to score.

Although Carlisle enjoyed better possession in the first 20 minutes of the second half, with Mark Beck missing a half-chance, they rarely looked like threatening a comeback.

Cox should have extended the Os’ advantage, but fired straight at the keeper – who, having survived his earlier misdemeanour, was shown a second yellow card for bringing down substitute Charlie MacDonald on 67 minutes.

Lisbie made no mistake with the resulting spot-kick, steering it past replacement keeper Adam Collin, and from then on the only issue appeared to be whether the Os could further boost their goal difference.

They were given a jolt 12 minutes from time when McSweeney gave the ball away and Robson advanced to drill a clinical left-foot finish across Jones into the far corner.

But it was Orient who ended the game on a high, with substitute David Mooney rattling the post and Cook also going close before supplying the cross for Cox to make it 4-1 two minutes from time.

Leyton Orient: Jones; Odubajo, Cuthbert, Clarke, McSweeney; Cox, Rowlands, Vincelot, Cook; Lisbie (Mooney 72), Batt (MacDonald 67).