Matty Stevens' hat-trick took his goal tally for the season to six
Matty Stevens’ hat-trick gave AFC Wimbledon a dream return to Plough Lane as they thrashed Carlisle in League Two.
The Dons were playing their first home game since the Cherry Red Records Stadium and pitch was damaged by flooding last month.
Stevens’s first two goals and a Cameron Harper own goal gave them a three-goal lead at half-time.
Stevens completed his hat-trick shortly after the break as the home side secured a commanding victory and their sixth win from six home matches in all competitions this season.
Carlisle have now failed to score in four consecutive matches and are bottom of the league on goal difference.
Dons' winning home run continues
Less than three weeks ago, Wimbledon's Plough Lane home was underwater and the turf resembled a golf course more than a football pitch.
Home games were postponed and there was uncertainty over when they would be back as the full extent of the damage and cost was investigated, after more than 100,000 litres of water had to be pumped from the site.
On their return, the result never appeared in doubt as soon as Stevens headed them in front from the near penalty spot as he found space from a corner.
The 26-year-old doubled his lead when he followed up Alistair Smith's long-range effort, placing the ball past Carlisle keeper Harry Lewis after he had parried it into his path.
The away side could not deal with the outstanding James Tilley and the Dons' set pieces, with Lewis often finding himself amongst a swarm of his defenders and Wimbledon players.
A Cameron Harper own goal gave Wimbledon a three-goal lead
And that was how Harper's own goal came about right before the break. The Blues failed to clear the ball in and it bounced in off the unfortunate defender and into his own net.
Stevens headed in for his hat-trick, again from a corner. Carlisle cleared the initial ball away but the striker was left in space to nod home Tilley's second cross.
The Dons are now just two points off the play-off places with three games in hand on some of their rivals.
If they were to win those three games they would be four points clear at the top of the league, while Carlisle slumped to the bottom of the table after Morecambe's win against Barrow.
'Our best performance of the season' - Jackson
AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson speaking to BBC Radio London:
"You can't get too much better. Maybe we could have scored a couple more goals.
"We scored some great goals and kept a clean sheet. Our performance with and without the ball was outstanding and I thought it was our best performance of the season.
"We made a good opposition look pretty ordinary today."
On Matty Stevens: "He was outstanding. Brilliant for a striker to get the hat-trick.
"He deserves that because he's a great lad, he works so hard for the team.
"You give him a job to do and he just does it, he's so coachable."
On James Tilley: "Tills is quality on his left foot. The deliveries in today, he was putting it on the money.
"When you've got someone putting in a delivery like that it's important you go and attack it and that's what we did today."
Carlisle United boss Mike Williamson told BBC Radio Cumbria:
"Gutted for the fans. We were miles off it from the start, which was disappointing.
"I thought in the second half we showed glimpses of a bit of personality but it's far too late and we were dead and buried by then, so we know that's completely unacceptable.
"The boys in there [the dressing room], there's not anybody saying many words but it's a realisation we are where we are and what ingredients we need to get out of this.
"I believe we definitely have the personality and characters to get out of this, and it's what we need because we are rock bottom [of the table]."
