It was the first goal Carlisle had conceded in 292 minutes of football and they could have been in front themselves after just two minutes. Simon Hackney's mis-hit shot cannoned off Danny Graham to wrong-foot Coventry's defence, but Graham shot wide from eight yards. It was the closest Carlisle came in a poor first half.
Paul Arnison stretched to turn a Mifsud shot passed Carlisle's post as Coventry made the early running. After his opener, Mifsud laid on a chance for Adebola, but Westwood was quickly off his line to block the big man's shot and Ellery Cairo blasted the rebound over the angle of post and bar.
Almost on half-time, the little Maltese battled his way beyond two Carlisle defenders to an angled shot that Westwood had to beat away. But the keeper was left hopelessly exposed eleven minutes into the second half. Carlisle failed to cut out Cairo's cross from the right touch-line and the ball reached Mifsud, who headed back across goal and in at the post from five yards.
Caretaker boss Greg Abbott made a double substitution on the hour, bringing off Graham and the out-of-sorts Hackney and sending on Kevin Gall and Jeff Smith. Gall almost made an impact six minutes later when his pace took him to the by-line and he crossed for Danny Carlton to head wide at the far post.
Carlisle came close to pegging one back in the dying minutes when Smith first-timed a shot wide from a Martin Brittain cross and Gall brought a fine save from Coventry keeper Andy Marshall with a fizzing 22-yard drive.