Carlisle United 0 Plymouth Argyle 3: Carlisle United were outclassed at Brunton Park as promotion-chasing Plymouth made the most of a poor Blues display.

The visitors took the lead just after the half-hour through Luke Jephcott, and he grabbed another early in the second half before debutant sub Ryan Hardie completed the rout.

Aaron Hayden compounded Carlisle's bad day by being sent off seconds from the end, Plymouth good value for their comfortable victory and United unable to get a handle on Ryan Lowe's side, who could have scored more.

The defeat saw Chris Beech suffer his first home defeat in charge and it kept Carlisle fourth bottom in League Two, still seven points above bottom place.

It also brought the Blues heavily back to earth after their good display at Cardiff in the FA Cup the previous weekend, Beech's side unable to summon any of that positivity back at Brunton Park.

The opener came on 32 minutes via Jephcott, the young striker finishing from close range after Byron Moore had got behind Jon Mellish to cross from the right.

That was the first goal United had conceded at home in seven hours and 37 minutes of football, and capped a strong start from Lowe's side.

Nathan Thomas had tested keeper Alex Palmer early on but otherwise it was Plymouth with the better of things in the opening stages.

Tyreeq Bakinson saw a shot blocked and Danny Mayor was a regular danger with his runs from behind the forward line.

He set up George Cooper for a cross which Jephcott couldn't convert, while Antoni Sarcevic failed to capitalise on two chances before the opener.

After Jephcott's strike, Harry McKirdy fired over the bar in response.

But Plymouth could easily have doubled their lead, dangerous from wide positions and down the middle and Cooper and Moore going close, before Sarcevic drew a good save from Adam Collin and Byron Webster denied Moore from the rebound.

Webster threw himself in the way of another attempt, this time from Cooper, with Mike Jones shooting wide moments before half-time for the Blues.

Beech, who had named an unchanged side with new signing Max Hunt on the bench, brought on Stefan Scougall for Jack Bridge at the break, but United swiftly went two behind.

Plymouth's second came just two minutes after the restart, Jephcott onside as he received a Bakinson pass and finishing clinically.

Mike Jones was denied by Alex Palmer at the other end while Hallam Hope also could not pull one back.

United could not find much other inspiration going forward and Plymouth almost scrambled a third from a Joe Edwards cross, which the linesman adjudged had not crossed the line.

They did, though, add to their tally 15 minutes from time, Blackpool loan frontman Hardie on the pitch for just four minutes when he tucked home a Mayor pass from the left.

It was no more than they deserved and United, through sub Ryan Loft and McKirdy, couldn't grab a consolation.

The day was tarnished further when right-back Hayden, already booked, rashly fouled an opponent seconds from the end and was shown a second yellow card.

There was again no place in the squad for Christie Elliott, Mo Sagaf and Jarrad Branthwaite. Beech said Elliott was fit, Sagaf is still on the comeback trail from injury, and claimed Branthwaite was ill.

Canice Carroll and Nathaniel Knight-Percival were again left out by the United boss, with ex-Derby defender Hunt an unused sub.

United: Collin, Hayden, G Jones, Mellish, Webster, M Jones, Watt, Bridge (Scougall 46), McKirdy, Thomas (Loft 52), Hope. Not used: Gray, Iredale, Charters, Olomola, Hunt.

Plymouth: Palmer, Sawyer, Wootton, Canavan, Edwards (Riley 88), Bakinson, G Cooper (Hardie 71), Sarcevic (C Grant 78), Mayor, Moore, Jephcott. Not used: M Cooper, J Grant, Lolos, Randell.

Ref: Martin Coy.

Crowd: 4,212 (567 Plymouth fans).