Colchester United fell to their heaviest defeat of the season after falling to a comprehensive 4-0 loss at Carlisle United.

The U's were soundly beaten by their hosts to tumble to a disappointing reverse at Brunton Park, in League Two.

However, despite their first defeat in four games, Colchester still remain third in the table.

Colchester head coach John McGreal named an unchanged side for their game at Carlisle.

That meant that joint leading scorer Luke Norris had to once again be content with a place on the bench, with Mikael Mandron getting the nod in attack.

The U’s boss also chose the same substitutes for the match, at Brunton Park.

Carlisle started brightly and Hallam Hope's long-range effort was pushed away by U’s keeper Dillon Barnes for a corner in the eighth minute.

The hosts then went close again two minutes later through Jerry Yates, who fired a good chance wide of the near post from a tight angle after being presented with the ball in the area by Kane Vincent-Young's sloppy attempted backpass.

But Colchester gradually grew into the game and registered their first opportunity when Mandron side-footed a good chance wide first time after Frank Nouble had done well to beat Gary Liddle and pick him out in the area.

Carlisle’s Macauley Gillesphey saw his goalbound effort hooked over the bar by his lurking team-mate Ashley Nadesan from close range.

But only a superb one-handed save by Collin to push away Sammie Szmodics' goalbound effort denied the U’s an opener, after Courtney Senior had done well to pick out his team-mate.

Colchester fell behind just after the half hour mark when Hope converted a low cross from close range from Nadesan's cross, after good build-up work by Liddle and Jerry Yates had helped create the chance.

The U's were not helped by the fact that centre-back Frankie Kent was off the pitch for much of the move, after receiving treatment for an injury.

But it meant Colchester trailed at the break and they fell further behind five minutes after half-time.

After a U’s attack had broken down, Carlisle broke away swiftly and Jerry Yates finished coolly from inside the area from Jamie Devitt’s short pass.

Things went bad to worse for Colchester, six minutes later.

After Barnes had saved Nadesan’s shot with his legs in the area, Devitt swept home confidently from close range for 3-0.

McGreal made a double substitution soon after, sending on Luke Norris and Brennan Dickenson for Mandron and Vincent-Young, in a bid to get back into the contest.

Norris saw a 25-yard free-kick fly just wide soon after and then saw a cross-shot palmed away by Collin in stoppage-time.

But Carlisle wrapped up their win in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Grainger's 30-yard free-kick flew past Barnes and in, as the U's were beaten.