Carlisle squandered the chance to go top of League Two as battling Bolton hit back from three goals down to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw.

The Cumbrians were 3-0 ahead inside 38 minutes thanks to goals from Aaron Hayden, Lewis Alessandra and Omari Patrick.

But George Thomason pulled one back just before half-time and late goals from Nathan Delfouneso and Peter Kioso, who was later sent off, clinched a share of the spoils late on.

The hosts were two up inside the opening seven minutes and both goals came from Callum Guy set-pieces.

Hayden headed home the first in the fifth minute before Alessandra poked home the second just two minutes later.

Visiting keeper Matt Gilks did well to tip Patrick’s powerful strike over the bar but the Carlisle forward pounced on a failed Alex Baptiste clearance to make it 3-0.

Thomason gave Bolton a lifeline though when he headed home Kioso’s deflected cross on the stroke of half-time.

Alessandra missed out on a second when his strike flicked the bar but, with time running out, Carlisle looked to have done enough for the points.

However, Delfouneso sparked Bolton’s late recovery when he made it 3-2 in the 86th minute before Kioso headed home Andrew Tutte’s cross two minutes later.

And the visitors should have won it when Thomason hit the post in stoppage time.

Kioso was sent off at the death for felling Josh Kayode before Carlisle midfielder Jon Mellish hit the post with the last kick of an entertaining encounter.