Carlisle United 2 MK Dons 3: Carlisle United's biggest home league crowd for more than a decade saw the Blues beaten 3-2 by MK Dons.

An attendance of 10,459 saw Steven Pressley's side go down to a second straight defeat.

As the club's #8kforMK crowd campaign far exceeded its target, United were unable to get the better of their promotion rivals.

Stefan Scougall's penalty on his full debut quickly cancelled out Conor McGrandles' early opener for the visitors.

Paul Tisdale's men, though, turned the screw in the second half with goals from Jake Hesketh and Kieran Agard.

Hallam Hope drilled home a last-minute consolation but United, now winless in three, dropped a place to seventh in League Two.

The crowd was the biggest for a league game at Brunton Park since 12,148 watched Carlisle host Leeds in September 2008.

They saw Hope head wide for United early on, before the visitors struck first, McGrandles arriving onto Dean Lewington's cross from the left before firing past Adam Collin from a tight angle on 12 minutes.

Scougall, though, quickly levelled after being fouled by Baily Cargill following a bright United attack.

The Scot, starting in the 'false nine' position, slotted the penalty low past Stuart Moore.

Carlisle's pressing and interplay, often featuring the lively Scougall in the false nine position, led to further openings with Regan Slater shooting wide on 27 minutes.

Further firepower, though, was scarce, MK then threatening when Agard just failed to reach a Lewington cross, and Alex Gilbey winning the ball from Slater before Grant cleared his cross.

A Hesketh cross then hit the top of United's bar as Tisdale's side looked to regain their lead.

They eventually did so after proving the more dangerous side after the break, Gilbey and Nathan Thomas exchanging chances but Tisdale's side building plenty of pressure with frontman Chuks Aneke on at the break.

Pressley made two changes of his own on 67 minutes, Mark Cullen and Liam McCarron replacing Slater and Thomas.

But two minutes later United's boss saw his side go behind, Hope denied in his appeals for a free-kick and MK breaking, Gary Liddle failing to cut out Aneke's cross and Hesketh on hand to beat Collin with a well-placed shot.

Gilbey was denied by Collin and Cullen headed over before it was three for the visitors: Aneke feeding Gilbey on the run and Agard left with an easy close-range finish.

That effectively finished Carlisle off, debutant Peter Grant heading a corner wide and Jason Kennedy coming on for his first home appearance since October 2017 before Hope fired home at the back post in the 90th minute.

That led to a late flurry of attacking, including keeper Collin coming up for a late corner, but the Cumbrians couldn't salvage a result.

Grant, Scougall and Liddle had come into the side with Carlisle without he injured defensive pair of Danny Grainger and Tom Parkes, while Jamie Devitt began a three-match ban.

The defensive reshuffle saw Grant start at centre-half and Liddle at right-back, with Gary Miller moving across to left-back.

United: Collin, Miller, Grant, Liddle, Gerrard, Etuhu, Slater (Cullen 67), Scougall (Kennedy 81), O'Hare, Thomas (McCarron 67), Hope. Not used: Gray, Jones, Glendon, Simpson.

MK Dons: Moore, Walsh, Cargill (Aneke 46), Martin, Lewington, McGrandles, Brittain, Cisse, Hesketh (Walker 87), Gilbey, Agard (Wheeler 81). Not used: Nicholls, Baudry, Houghton, Harley.