The home side, buoyed by their recent record at Elland Road, had the first real attack of the game in the opening sixty seconds when Jonny Howson crossed in from the right but Luciano Becchio was only able to head over the top. Robert Snodgrass then heading across goal but wide three minutes later from a Beckford ball in as Leeds upped their early pressure.
It was still all Whites and in the 13th minute Bradley Johnson had a shot cleared by Danny Livesey, Snodgrass then making a good run forward six minutes later only to shoot wastefully wide of the target. The breakthrough for Leeds came with 30 minutes gone when referee Russell Booth was the only man in the stadium to judge a slight nudge outside the box by Livesey on Mike Doyle as a penalty. Beckford following up to score from the rebound after seeing his weak effort from the spot saved by Pidgeley.
It was almost 2-0 and game over 30 seconds after the kick-off too as the ever-dangerous Snodgrass watched an excellent 22-yard curling effort ping back off the inside of the Carlisle woodwork. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson then finding his shot deflecting inches wide off Doyle for the visitors before Blues manager Greg Abbott was sent to the stands for leaving his technical area while protesting about referee Booth. The last point of note in the half coming when Casper Ankergren punched away Cumbrians veteran Graham Kavanagh's free-kick into the box.
Leeds started brightly again from the whistle and early on Snodgrass fired an effort into Pidgeley's side-netting, Johnson shot over the top, Howson thumped a drive wide and Beckford lobbed one onto the roof of the Blues net - all that action coming within the space of seven minutes as the visitors looked to attempt to break forward from their rigid, but understandably defensive 4-5-1 formation, Ankergren being forced to punch clear at the near-post from a mishit Matty Robson cross.
It was soon back to the Whites pressing forward though and around the hour-mark Johnson sliced a shot wide, following good approach play by Snodgrass, before Beckford was unable to get on the end of a cross in from the left by Howson. That the last action of the match for Howson who was replaced by former Nottingham Forest midfielder David Prutton with 65 minutes gone.
Carlisle had been working hard throughout the match and they got reward with a 75th minute equaliser, Dobie, ten yards out, heading powerfully past Ankergren from a Hurst corner for his second goal in two games. The home side though roaring back with Pidgeley doing well to save first from a Prutton shot and then managing to keep out a dangerous Snodgrass free-kick that came in at pace.
The home side were desperate to keep that Elland Road run going and, in the last five minutes Livesey sliced a Johnson cross clear over his own bar, with Dobie then heading off the line and over the top moments later from a Snodgrass header in on the Cumbrians goal. The last chance was perhaps the best one though as in the early moments of injury time Beckford was unable to repeat his usual Leeds goalscoring exploits when he lobbed an effort too high from Enoch Showumni's ball forward.