League One: Carlisle United 1 Leyton Orient 4

Two goals from David Mooney plus strikes from Ben Chorley and Lee Cook, all in opening 44 minutes, saw Orient record their third straight win as they stunned Carlisle with an astonishing first-half performance.

Russell Slade’s side had scored just 13 times in their previous 17 league games, but went goal crazy before the break to settle this encounter and climb up to 15th place in the table.

It was an amazing display by an Orient side who recently managed just one goal in seven league games as Mooney silenced his critics with a two-goal blast and only the thickness of the crossbar denied him a hat-trick.

Defender Ben Chorley, midfielder Martin Rowlands, winger Lee Cook and striker Kevin Lisbie were all restored to the starting line up while Mathieu Baudry, Anthony Griffith, Jimmy Smith and Ryan Brunt dropped to the bench.

The first 15 minutes proved to be an even affair, with O’s looking dangerous on the break and after seven minutes Cook provided a cross for Lisbie, but the two-goal hero against Shrewsbury poked his effort well wide of the post.

But there was no indication of what was to come as the game suddenly burst into life with three goals in an amazing eight-minute spell.

It was O’s that grabbed the lead on 18 minutes when Dean Cox sent over a perfect cross from the right and Mooney reacted first to send a glancing header against the post and followed up to tap the rebound home.

The striker, who scored his first goal of the season against Gloucester on Wednesday night, was rewarded for his recent endeavours with his first league goal in 17 games.

However, the lead lasted just seven minutes as John-Paul McGovern delivered a free-kick that eluded visiting keeper Ryan Allsop as he tried to punch it clear and Peter Murphy had the simple job of heading home the equaliser.

But O’s, who have struggled to score goals this season, were back in front within 60 seconds when Cook’s corner wasn’t cleared and defender Chorley hooked the ball home from close range for his second goal of the season.

Orient kept pressing and almost added a third on 32 minutes when Rowlands was brought down on the edge of the box and Cook’s free-kick shaved the post with keeper Adam Collin beaten.

However, seven minutes later the O’s did bag a third. Lisbie was the architect as he raced onto a ball from Moses Odubajo and flicked it past Murphy before rolling it across the face of the goal for Cook to tap home his third of the season.

Cox almost added a fourth two minutes before the break when Lisbie headed the ball into the path of Cox and his fierce volley zipped over the bar.

But O’s, who had only scored five away goals in the eight league matches prior to the game, netted again on 44 minutes.

Lisbie was the man who set it up when he robbed a defender and laid the ball into the path of Mooney who grabbed his second of the game - and it would have taken a brave man to have put his mortgage money on O’s being 4-1 up at the break.

Carlisle made three changes at half-time as manager Greg Abbott tried to find a way back into the game and James Berrett fired a shot from the edge of the box just wide.

But it was Orient who almost stretched their advantage on 56 minutes when Mooney was denied a hat-trick by the woodwork as he crashed a 25-yard volley against the bar.

A repeat of the first half goal flurry was never likely to materialise and O’s held on to their three-goal cushion without two many problems to complete a remarkable week for Slade’s side and a joyous day for the 113 brave Orient fans who made the longest trip of the season to Brunton Park.

Carlisle: Collin, Simek, McGovern (Robson 46 mins), Murphy, Noble (Beck 46 mins), Edwards, Potts, Berrett, Garner, Chantler, Higginbotham (Symington 46 mins). Subs: Welsh, Todd, Gillespie, McGinty.

Carlisle bookings: Potts (45+2 mins foul)

Orient: Allsop; Odubajo, Chorley, Clarke, Sawyer; Rowlands; Cox (Smith 83 mins), James (Griffith 65 mins), Cook; Mooney, Lisbie (Symes 76 mins). Subs: Jones, McSweeney, Baudry, Brunt.

Orient bookings: Cox (81 mins unsporting behaviour)

Referee: Tony Harrington.

Attendance: 3,964 (inc 113 Orient fans)