Carlisle United 3 Hartlepool United 1: Carlisle United returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over Hartlepool at Brunton Park.
Cameron Harper, Georgie Kelly and Morgan Feeney all struck to send Mark Hughes' side back up to third in the National League.
Harper opened the scoring with his first goal for the club early on and, after Jermaine Francis levelled for Pools early in the second half, Kelly and Feeney secured the points.
Carlisle were in much better shape than in their previous two games but the game came with a double setback as centre-backs Bevis Mugabi and Terell Thomas both went off injured.
Feeney's return to the defence, though, was among several positives in front of a 6,170 midweek crowd.
Boss Mark Hughes made five changes to the side that started in the 2-0 defeat to Rochdale and also reverted to the more familiar 4-2-1-3 system.
Back into the XI came Archie Davies, Jack Ellis, Stephen Wearne, Junior Luamba and Georgie Kelly, in place of Feeney, Callum Whelan, Josh Williams, Luke Armstrong and Harvey Macadam, the latter out of the squad as David Ajiboye returned to the bench.
Hartlepool boss Grayson made two changes, recalling captain and ex-Carlisle defender Tom Parkes along with Jamie Miley, as Matty Daly and Brad Walker dropped to the bench.
Carlisle almost suffered the worst possible start as Hartlepool played their way through inside the first 30 seconds, but Gabe Breeze was there to make a vital save to deny Francis.
United then settled and, after Wearne had been denied on the break, the Blues took an early lead.
Regan Linney was the architect with an inspired run down the left and his cut-back was met first-time by Harper, who swept his shot across keeper Harvey Cartwright.
Pools nearly responded two minutes later but Thomas was in the right place to block Luke Charman's finish.
At the other end, Linney went close after breezing past a defender, before Mugabi, after a vital challenge to deny Besart Topalloj, suffered the injury that forced him to be substituted.
Feeney took his place and Carlisle then enjoyed further positive spells, with Wearne going close and Kelly failing to convert a great Linney delivery.
Feeney then headed a Harper corner just over as United appeared in much more confident mood than in their previous two outings, another chance coming Kelly's way from Ellis's cross, the striker's diving header saved by Cartwright.
Hartlepool then fashioned a chance to equalise as Charman's touch took him away from Thomas - but Feeney made a timely sliding block to deny the visiting forward.
The visitors were then forced into a change and it came in goal, Cartwright unable to continue with an injury as sub keeper Adam Smith came off the bench.
Linney went close as he stretched to poke a shot just wide, then Wearne tested Smith with a 30-yard free-kick after excellent hold-up work by Kelly against Parkes.
A second goal then almost arrived on the stroke of half-time as Wearne got the better of his man on the left and his low cross was deflected just over his own crossbar by Parkes, Carlisle reaching the interval 1-0 up and value for it, the Cumbrians having seemed much more comfortable back in their familiar shape.
Yet United's lead did not survive the first minute of the second half as the visitors hit back, Carlisle caught in the centre and Hartlepool overlapping on the right, Breeze saving Charman's initial shot but Francis emerging from the resulting scramble with a close-range finish.
Hartlepool then very nearly found a way through for a second but Danny Johnson lacked conviction when put through and the chance faded as Thomas tried to get back for Carlisle.
United then tried to rebuild and Feeney went close as he attacked a Davies free-kick - and a corner from the latter then saw Thomas rise to head over.
Luamba went close with a powerful 25-yard attempt as Carlisle continued their attempts to regain their lead.
The Blues were then pressed into another change on the hour mark when Thomas went down hurt, Josh Grant taking his place as Jack Ellis dropped into defence from midfield.
The next change involved the officials as referee Simon Mather, in the 64th minute, indicated he could not continue, fourth official Richard Holmes taking his place for the rest of the game.
When things resumed, Linney had a shot blocked then rifled wide - but then Carlisle, 17 minutes from time, finally regained the lead.
Harper was the provider this time, fed in space on the left, and his early cross saw Kelly in front of his man to beat Smith with a powerful first-time finish.
Hartlepool responded with a double change as Grayson introduced Vadaine Oliver and Nathan Ferguson, before Kelly went close to another with a 25-yard shot that flew just wide and later Alex Gilliead saw an attempt blocked.
Wearne almost got a third when his deft lofted shot was tipped over by Smith - but when a corner came out to Linney, his cross was met by Feeney and his clinical header was too good for Smith as Carlisle finally extended their lead.
The Blues almost added another late on but by the end they were good value for the points as they now prepare to take on unbeaten Scunthorpe United on Saturday.
United: Breeze, Davies, Harper, Thomas (Grant 61), Mugabi (Feeney 14), Ellis, Gilliead, Wearne (Whelan 90), Luamba (Williams 90), Linney (Armstrong 90), Kelly. Not used: Lewis, Ajiboye.
Goals: Harper 4, Kelly 77, Feeney 90.
Hartlepool: Cartwright (Smith 37), Benn, John, Parkes (Walker 67), Kouogun, Topalloj (Daly 46), Sheron, Miley, Francis, Charman (Oliver 78), Johnson (Ferguson 78). Not used: Hunter, Dacosta Gonzalez.
Goal: Francis 46.
Ref: Simon Mather (replaced by Richard Holmes in 65th minute).
Crowd: 6,170 (478 Hartlepool fans).
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