The first chance of the game came in the fifth minute when Carlisle midfielder James Berrett shot straight into the arms of 'Dale goalkeeper Jake Kean from distance. Up at the other end shortly afterwards James Tavernier then having to block out a close range effort from Marcus Holness after the Blues were unable to clear away a Nicky Adams corner.
After a quiet spell in the game with both sides battling to be in charge of the midfield areas Rochdale went close on 25 minutes when Ashley Grimes headed an Andrew Tutte cross narrowly wide of the target. Three minutes later and Joe Thompson headed over the top from an Adams free-kick as the home side upped the pressure, Carlisle though coming back with a Tavernier shot too high as he got onto the end of a deflected Francois Zoko ball in.
On the break Gary Jones then had a shot well pushed behind by United stopper Adam Collin, with Jean Louis Akpa Apro then being yellow carded for a foul on Carlisle's Peter Murphy. Neal Trotman was then unable to get a volleyed effort on target from an Adams cross in, before for the Blues Lubomir Michalik thumped a free-kick into the wall and out for a corner, Michalik himself heading down and into the arms of Kean from the resultant James Berrett flag-kick in.
Rochdale then missed an excellent chance to take the lead in the 40th minute when, from another Adams cross in, Thompson headed wastefully well over the top. Jones then side-footed from range too high for the home side before up at the other end Berrett had a shot well blocked by the diving head of Trotman. The last opening of the first half coming the way of Carlisle when Murphy curled a 22-yard free-kick narrowly wide of Kean's right-hand post.
Straight away after the break it was the home side pushing on again when Thompson fed a pass in for Jones just outside the United box, Jones though only shooting over the top of Collin's crossbar. Rochdale then going close again in the 51st minute when this time Akpa Apro did the approach work before Collin did well to parry away a long range effort from Grimes.
'Dale then had a good claim for a penalty turned down by referee Mark Brown when Michalik appeared to bring down Akpa Apro, Mr Brown waving play on much to the chagrin of the majority of the fans inside Spotland. Rochdale did win a free-kick 30 yards out just before the hour-mark though but Jones smacked it straight into the Carlisle wall, with an effort from Grimes on the rebound then being deflected straight into the gloves of Collin.
Collin then made another relatively easy stop from a Tutte shot in, before for Carlisle Tom Taiwo had a close range effort from an Andy Welsh cross deflected away off target and away behind for a corner, which produced nothing for the Cumbrians. Zoko then headed well over the top from a Berrett corner before in the 72nd minute Berrett himself shot narrowly wide of Kean's goal from distance.
Marcus Holness then going into the referee's notebook for a foul on Taiwo, with Jon-Paul McGovern's resultant free-kick never looking like being any danger on the Rochdale goal. The final chance to break the stalemate in the match coming two minutes from time when Tutte tried his luck from fully 30 yards out only to see his shot skip inches wide of Collin's right-hand post.