Coventry City

It was the complete performance from a City side that found themselves two goals up after five minutes and three up at the break with a Joe Murphy penalty save for good measure in a first half that left the travelling 450-strong City support delighted.

Leon Clarke, Franck Moussa and Billy Daniels were all on the scoresheet by half time before Clarke then wrapped up the scoring with a second midway through the second 45 minutes to subject Carlisle to a third consecutive league defeat.

Boss Steven Pressley unsurprisingly opted to make no changes to the side that beat Bristol City 5-4 at Sixfields Stadium last Sunday, keeping the same 4-4-2 formation that helped the Sky Blues to their first three points of the 2013/14 League One season.

His faith was repayed after a hugely entertaining first 15 minutes which saw the Sky Blues go two goals up as well as Murphy saving a Carlisle penalty at the other end.

City were a goal up after just three minutes when when patient build up play from the Sky Blues on the edge of Carlisle's area eventually brought the ball to the feet of Leon Clarke who calmly lofted an effort over Cumbrians 'keeper Mark Gillespie and into the top corner.

The travelling support were then sent into dreamland two minutes later when a brilliant piece of sharp interplay between Clarke, Billy Daniels and Franck Moussa finished with Moussa dinking a ball over the top of the advancing Gillespie to double the Sky Blues' advantage.

The home side had a cast iron chance to halve the deficit 14 minutes after Mark Beck's header was tipped over the bar by Murphy.

The resulting corner delivery saw Beck bundled over in the box by City centre-half Andy Webster, the referee pointing to the spot.

Murphy stopped the momentum swinging the home side's way though with a great save to his left to deny penalty taker James Berrett and keep City firmly on top.

Despite the comfortable two-goal cushion City never took their foot off the pedal as Carlisle's back four struggled to deal with the combination of Leon Clarke's physical presence and Callum Wilson's pace.

It was Wilson's speed mixed with a bit of brute force that opened the door for City's third a minute after the half hour when Wilson went shoulder to shoulder with Balck and dispossessed the full back before cutting a ball back for Daniels who powered a finish into the near bottom corner.

Wilson had a great chance to make it four on 39 minutes when the Sky Blues broke quickly and found themselves five-on-four against the Carlisle back line, Wilson ignoring his support and not really connecting with the ball with his effort that enabled Gillespie to make a comfortable save.

The forward was released again two minutes later with a long ball down the right flank which he latched onto before trying to cut one back for Moussa who connected with the ball but sent his forst touch effort just wide.

The start of the second half brought a renewed enthusiasm from the home side as they exerted much of the early pressure after the restart.

Any hopes of a resurgence were firmly put to bed though five minutes after the hour when a long ball forward from City saw Kevin Freely miscue the clearance and allow Leon Clarke in to nick the ball and deliver a delicate chip over the body of Gillespie to put City four infront.

Carlisle very nearly grabbed one back in strange fashio after 69 minutes when a strong challenge from Liam Noble on Moussa grounded the City midfielder, Potts lashing at the loose ball while City were protesting for a free kick and seeing his effort loop way over Murphy and drop onto the inside foot of the post of an open goal before bouncing away from danger.

Wilson very nearly made it five for City on 73 minutes though when he was released by a ball from Leon Clarke and went one-on-one with Gillespie only for the 'keeper to make a good save with his legs.

That was the last action for Wilson who was then replaced by recent signing Mathieu Manset who nearly announced his arrival with a stunning strike with eight minutes to go, twisting and turned O'Hanlon and Black before rattling Gillespie's crossbar with an effort that deserved to go in given his work to create the opening.

Attendance: 4,072 (439 Sky Blue Army)