A rampant Carlisle side brought lashings of festive cheer as they put Oldham to the sword with an emphatic and convincing victory which saw them score some excellent team goals along the way.

United kicked towards the Waterworks End in the first half with an unchanged side from last Saturday's away victory at Crawley.

The Latics won an early corner when a cross from Nepomuceno deflected behind. Hope met it at the near post, to help it on its way out of the box, and Liddle made a good block when a follow up shot from Taylor was drilled low.

Oldham came again when Maouche blocked an attempted clearance from Grainger. He was quickly onto the loose ball but Parkes slid in to put the pass to the near post behind to safety. Collin bundled through bodies when the corner was swept in to punch it long and away from the danger area. 

It was a good start from the away side and they probed again as Surridge pulled wide to take a pass on the overlap. He tried to pick out Lang with a neat cut back but Gerrard was there to hook it clear.

Carlisle responded with a touch from Devitt which allowed Hope to run at his man. He dropped a shoulder as he angled his way towards the box but he couldn't keep his shot down.

The Blues got themselves in front on 19 minutes when a crunching cross-field clearance from Grainger was picked up by Nadesan on the half way line. He bounced a one-two off Sowerby before steaming his way into the box with the ball glued to his boot. A clip on his heels could well have led to a penalty but he stayed tall, and his final touch rolled the ball into the path of Hallam Hope, who had shadowed the break from the off. He was left with the simple task of popping it into the empty net from close range.

A cross from Grainger found Nadesan in space at the far post as United stayed forward, but it was behind Hope and Taylor got a toe to it to stop the forward from causing any damage. Devitt battled hard to win back possession and Hope was the target again with another clipped cross. Two defenders got enough on it to prevent him from completing the volley.

More good football saw Sowerby turn his man in midfield before finding the always available Hallam Hope on the left flank. He fizzed a pass to Yates but he was under pressure and the ball was marshalled away before he could shoot.

The Cumbrians doubled their lead on the half hour with another superb move which saw them carve through the static Oldham defence. A patient build up saw Hope ignore a shooting opportunity so he could roll it back for Devitt to strike, from over 25-yards away. Iversen could only parry the dipping rasper, as it flew and swirled at him, and Hope used intelligence to volley the ball back into the six-yard box. Jerry Yates had to readjust his feet quickly and his touch was enough to leave keeper to beat the floor in frustration as the forward bagged his third goal in three games since making the switch to the central striker role.

Excellent handling from Collin stopped the Latics from building up a head of steam as they sent balls in the box in an attempt to get back into the game, and former-Oldham defender Anthony Gerrard had the last meaningful kick of the half for the hosts when he sent a shot from distance high over the bar.

Oldham broke from the goal kick and they wasted a real chance of pulling one back when a header from O'Grady was blocked, only to fall back at his feet with the defenders at sixes and sevens. With just Collin to beat, and at very close range, he lost his bearings before swiping a poor attempt over the target.

Carlisle continued to look excellent going forward after the break but crosses from Grainger and Hope were dealt with as Yates lurked. A high looping cross from Clarke at the other end had Collin stretched as he reached up to tip it behind.

Another away opening came when Missilou appeared to find the perfect delivery when he dropped the ball between the keeper and his back four. Surridge seemed to hesitate and the speed on the ball meant he missed his chance to shoot.

It was United's turn to hesitate as they looked to clear their lines, with Oldham throwing men forward, but it worked to their advantage when they broke at pace when Gerrard sent a beauty of a pass from the edge of his own box to Jerry Yates. He put Hope on the overlap, and a superb cross was nodded into the bottom corner from eight yards out by Ashley Nadesan, who took his tally to nine for the season.

Game, set and match came just four minutes later when Missilou pulled Jamie Devitt back just as he shaped to shoot 23-yards out. Captain Danny Grainger added another wonder strike to his repertoire as he found the top corner, albeit with a touch from Iversen as he tried to fingertip it away.

It became a rout with just under 20 minutes left to play when Jamie Devitt showed excellent awareness to rob possession on the half way line. He picked out the in-form Yates, who had set off on a run, and the forward left Iversen with no chance as he calmly slotted it into the back of the net.

Cries of 'ole' rang out around Brunton Park as the confident football flowed but a rare Oldham chance came on 85 minutes when Surridge found himself in space at an angle. He tried to shoot across Collin but the big keeper was equal to it as he dived long to keep hold of the ball.

The Latics looked for a consolation but a touch from Parkes as a cross came in was vital to prevent Missilou from applying a finishing touch.

Gary Liddle made it an extra-special 100th appearance for the club when he chested a cross from Hope into the back of the net deep into time added on, and that was that as the hosts made it 10 goals and two clean sheets from their last two home outings.

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Goals

Carlisle United - Hope (19), Yates (30, 71), Nadesan (60), Grainger (64), Liddle (90)

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Bookings

Carlisle United - Etuhu (66)

Oldham Athletic - Edmundson (63)

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Teams

Carlisle United - Collin, Liddle, Gerrard, Parkes, Grainger (Gillesphey 80), Sowerby, Etuhu (Slater 74), Devitt, Nadesan (McCarron 76), Yates, Hope. Subs - Gray, Jones, Bennett, Campbell.

Oldham Athletic - Iversen, Taylor, Edmundson, Surridge, O'Grady (Branger-Engone 65), Missilou, Lang, Hunt, Clarke, Nepomuceno, Maouche. Subs - McFarlane, Lyden, Coke, Miller, Graham, Hamer.

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Referee - Mr Andy Haines

Attendance - 5,465 (534 away fans)