Barry Corr then cleared away a Kevan Hurst corner from in front of the dangerous Livesey before Scott Dobie headed a Matty Robson cross poorly wide after 23 minutes. Livesey again the man going close for Carlisle moments later when he was a whisker away from heading in a Hurst flag-kick. Corr then getting Exeter's first shot in shortly afterwards with an effort which only went way over Lenny Pidgeley's crossbar.
With Corr then off the field for 11 minutes before the break as he had a head wound switched, the Blues had by far their best spell in the game. Although for the majority of the time it was crosses into the box from Hurst, Robson and David Raven that were very strongly defended by a resolute City defence, Troy Archibald-Henville being particularly impressive.
The visitors were saved by the woodwork when Matty Taylor headed behind a Robson cross off the angle of his own post and bar. The resultant corner in seeing Livesey head down and Dobie toe-poke a close-range effort which Bertrand Cozic did well to hack off the line. City goalkeeper Paul Jones then saving from a weak Anyinsah effort before Liam Sercombe dribbled Exeter's second shot of the game wide in the last action of the half.
Sercombe involved again in the 50th minute as he did well to nod off the line from a Livesey header on Robson's corner, Livesey looking extremely dangerous at every Carlisle set-piece. The visitors then having their first goal attempt on target just before the hour-mark when Steve Tully's cross in was headed straight into the arms of Pidgeley by Corr.
Midway through the second half and the home side went close again when Robson made a pacey run forward. The former Hartlepool left-winger hitting in a shot which Jones made a real hash of, as the ball bobbled away behind off his body for a corner, United, despite their far superior possession unable to create any real clear-cut chances.
Then came City's winner in the 73rd minute, Stewart going down under the challenge of Pidgeley in the box for what looked like a cast-iron penalty. Stewart himself stepping up to chip the ball cheekily straight down the middle as Pidgeley dived away to his right. Four minutes later, and to a chorus of boos the impressive Anyinsah was replaced by Gary Madine, when surely a defender should have been the player sacrificed.
Despite a continual barrage of crosses in from the right the Blues were still unable to break through the Exeter rearguard, with both Dobie and Madine sending half-chance headers over the top in the closing stages. The coming of the final whistle surely only making it more obvious to Carlisle manager Greg Abbott that he desperately needs to get another striker on the Brunton Park books.