Crawley’s 14-match unbeaten home league run came to an abrupt end when Carlisle ran out thoroughly deserved 3-0 winners at the Broadfield Stadium.

To rub salt into the wound, this was the heaviest defeat under head coach John Yems, who side had not lost at home in the league for almost exactly a year.

Carlisle dominated for long periods  and defender Rhys Bennett, drafted in for his full league debut, struck to give the Cumbrians the lead two minutes before the interval.

Bennett scored at the second attempt from close range after fit-again keeper Glenn Morris blocked his initial effort having previously kept out a shot from Gime Toure.

Striker Joshua Kayode, who scored for the Republic of Ireland Under 21`s against Luxembourg in midweek, should have hit the target mid-way through the half when he shot weakly at Morris from a good position after Nick Anderton had set him up.

Carlisle had broken up their 348-mile trip to West Sussex by training on one of Aston Villa’s grass pitches, and Lewis Alessandra and Toure both forced Morris to save before Bennett’s opener.

Kayode doubled the lead ten minutes after the break with a clinical finish, slipping the ball past Morris after good work by George Tanner.

It got worse for Crawley on 63 minutes when keeper Morris could only parry a shot from Alessandra and Aaron Hayden poked the ball home from close range.

Crawley’s woes were compounded when substitute David Sesay was sent off eight minutes time, receiving a straight red card for bringing down the on-rushing Omari Patrick on the edge of the area.