Great escape artists Carlisle earned a precious point in their bid to beat the drop when Brendan McGill fired home an 81st minute leveller at Leyton Orient.
McGill's strike cancelled out Gary Alexander's 69th minute effort and left the Londoners still looking for their first win in 11 games.
But the busiest man of all was referee Clive Penton who booked seven players and brandished two red cards.
The flash point came on 50 minutes when Orient's on-loan signing Warren Hunt saw red for a challenge on Carlisle skipper Peter Murphy.
In the fracas that followed Carlisle defender Kevin Gray was dismissed for violent conduct after he appeared to floor O's defender John Mackie.
After the game Carlisle boss Paul Simpson insisted Gray was innocent, claiming: "I will ask the ref to look at the video because i don't think Gray touched him.
"This was a game we wanted to win and are now just two points form safety but we have to forget about what happened here and look to win our next game." While Leyton Orient manager Martin Ling believes the hard-earned point will just be about enough to guarantee safety.
"I'm pleased to reach 50 points at last - especially as we have not won in 11," he said.
"But we have fallen over the line rather than crossed it in style which was not what I was expecting." The tension was evident as both sides struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the first half. Murphy's shot on 31 minutes, which was saved by Orient keeper Lee Harrison, was the first effort on target.
Leyton Orient had to wait until the 41st minute for their first worthwhile attempt when Wayne Purser's shot was tipped over by Carlisle keeper Matt Glennon.
After the interval Craig Farrell missed a good chance for the visitors while at the other end Alexander rolled a shot just wide before he netted his 14th league goal of the season when Jabo Ibehre headed down Purser's cross.
But Carlisle dug deep and levelled nine minutes from time when Andy Preece found McGill breaking from midfield and he rounded Harrison before firing home.