Glenn Murray came off second best in his shoot-out with Danny Graham as Albion became the latest victims of Carlisle's formidable home record.

Murray pipped Graham to the League One player-of-the-month award for February but the tables were turned at Brunton Park.

While Murray went close to scoring on a number of occasions on his return to his home-town club it was Graham who set Carlisle on their way to a 12th home League win in succession with his 14th goal of the campaign in the first half.

Defender Danny Livesey added a second after the break to leave the Seagulls with only one point from their last six away games.

That is a statistic which will have to improve if Dean Wilkins' side are to sneak into a play-off place.

Carlisle, meanwhile, remain on course for automatic promotion, thanks to home comforts and a mean defence now unbreached for four matches.

Albion welcomed back Steve Thomson from the neck injury which sidelined him from the 4-2 home victory against Gillingham.

The return of the former Falkirk captain prompted a midfield reshuffle with Dean Bowditch ruled out by a groin problem.

Thomson partnered Tommy Fraser in the centre of the park. David Martot shifted out to the right and Ian Westlake made his away debut on the left, an opening created for the last two matches by the disciplining of Dean Cox.

Carlisle were unchanged following their 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest on Monday night.

Scott Dobie, prevented from playing against his former club, was expected to return upfront but he was ruled out by injury.

That left Graham, scorer of the only goal at the City Ground, alone up front.

Conditions were not conducive to a crowd-pleasing spectacle. The weather veered between bleak and bright, the pitch was bare and muddy and there was a strong and blustery wind which Albion had at their backs in the first half.

Glenn Murray, back on his old stomping ground, threatened early on when he was charitably given time to turn.

He evaded two challenges before dragging his shot just wide.

Murray went even closer in the 26th minute. Westlake making his second appearance on loan from Leeds, released him inside the area with a delightful through ball but keeper Keiran Westwood blocked his low drive.

In between Murray's two efforts it was Carlisle who generally had the upper hand. A formation which looks cautious on paper was fluent and menacing in practice.

Mark Bridge-Wilkinson, operating in no man's land between the midfield and Graham, caused the Seagulls a few problems.

He made a dangerous run through the middle, rounding Adam El-Abd in the process, before stabbing narrowly wide of the upright as Tommy Elphick unwisely backed off.

Michel Kuipers was otherwise well protected in the first quarter of the contest, although he had to push over a sharp shot on the turn by Graham after a cross from Simon Hackney was touched on to him by Grant Smith.

Murray seemed certain to put Albion ahead in the 34th minute when Westwood failed to hold a low angled drive from Martot.

He looked odds-on to convert the rebound from pount blank range, only for Westwood to redeem himself by diverting ball on to the crossbar.

It was a real turning point because, within a minute, Carlisle had gone in front.

Martot fell asleep from a quickly taken free-kick, the Frenchman allowing Hackney to steal in behind him down the left.

He pulled the ball back for Graham to convert his fifth goal in seven games via a deflection.

It was frustrating for Albion to find themselves a goal down when they could easily have been a goal up.

Their agitation was intensified when Murray went down under a challenge inside the Carlisle box from Nicky Forster's lay-off.

Murray was quickly back on his feet and referee Mike Pike, who was well placed, decided there was no contact.

He was surrounded by protesting Albion players but, significantly, Murray was not one of them.

Murray spurned a number of opportunities in the previous two matches against Orient and Gillingham after four goals in as many home starts.

The first half suggested it just was not going to be his day, an impression which was enhanced six minutes into the second half.

He was poised to slot in an inviting low cross from Forster when Evan Horwood foiled him with a last-ditch intervention.

The value of Horwood's saving challenge was emphasised when Carlisle doubled their lead in the 59th minute from a Bridge-Wilkinson corner which the Albion defence failed to clear.

The ball was hooked back in from beyond the far post by Peter Murphy for his central defensive partner, Danny Livesey, to volley in on the turn.

Having popped up at one end to put Carlisle firmly in command, Livesey preserved their cushion four minutes later by getting his head in the way of Elphick's firm header from a Fraser corner.

Moments after that Murray nodded narrowly over from Westlake's teasing cross.

It was a case of nearly but not quite, as has so often been the case this season in their attempts to topple the leading sides in League One. Albion will have to find an answer to that particular problem with a trip to Walsall and the visit of Doncaster looming.