Cambridge United’s 10-game unbeaten away run in all competitions was ended by this lunchtime’s 3-0 defeat at Leyton Orient.

The U’s had proven to be a tough nut to crack on the road, with their previous defeat having come last season on their way to automatic promotion when they were beaten 20 miles down the road from the BetWright Stadium at Barnet.

Perhaps fitting on Halloween, United’s unhelpful knack of conceding the opening goal in a game once again haunted them, and this time there was no way back – even with the half-time introduction of Shayne Lavey.

It was a bright enough start from Cambridge, who had four decent openings within the opening half an hour.

The first of those did not end with a shot, although it could quite easily have done. Cathal Heffernan’s raking diagonal pass from right to left found Zak Bradshaw inside the Orient box, but the wing-back’s side-footed cross was too heavy for Sullay Kaikai, who would have had a tap-in had the weight of the ball been right.

In the 14th minute, Louis Appere could not keep his header down from Liam Bennett’s right-wing cross, and it was the same story for Heffernan five minutes later when he met Ben Knight’s corner.

Knight was again the provider for Bradshaw in the 28th minute. The playmaker resisted the urge to shoot 20 yards from goal, and instead shifted the ball on to his team-mate, who saw his driven effort take a deflection before being tipped over by Nathan Baxter in the Orient goal.

The home side had offered very little up until that point, but then, in the 32nd minute, they broke the deadlock with the game’s first effort on target. Alex Gilbert swung over a corner from the right and centre-back Rarmani Edmonds-Green – featuring for the first time this season – made a good enough connection to squeeze the ball in via the far post.

It was the ninth time in the last 10 league fixtures that Cambridge have shipped the first goal, and they almost fell further behind in the 39th minute. Ollie O’Neill’s drilled cross from the left-hand side of the box found an unmarked Armando Dobra, but from six yards out he could not steer his header on target.

For the fourth time this season, U’s boss Neil Harris turned to Lavery at the break, but it was his strike partner Appere that had the chance at the start of the second half to restore parity. Baxter failed to hold Bradshaw’s low cross and the Scottish striker pounced, only to see his close-range effort loop up against the upright before falling kindly into the Orient goalie’s hands.

And that proved to be a crucial moment as Orient went on to take the game away from Cambridge. In the 50th minute, the home team doubled their advantage. On this occasion, Edmonds-Green turned creator, latching on to Somoto Boniface’s deep cross and sending the ball back across the face of goal to present Jaze Kabia with the easiest of finishes.

Aaron Connolly then tried his luck on the hour mark with a curling effort from distance that flew no more than a yard wide, but the former Republic of Ireland international did not have to wait too much longer to get his name on the scoresheet.

In the 62nd minute, and with Cambridge committing bodies forward in search of a route back into the contest, Connolly picked the ball up just inside his own half and found himself with just Kell Watts in front of him. Rather than engaging, the United centre-back reached for the reverse gear, and Connolly did not need a second invitation. He drove forward with purpose, and after making the angle for a shot inside the box, he picked out the bottom corner of Jake Eastwood’s net.

The third goal pulled the pin out of the contest, with both sides accepting their respective fates as the two managers emptied their benches.

The seventh-placed U’s, who have now gone four League One fixtures without a victory, have back-to-back cup fixtures to prepare for against Brighton & Hove Albion Under-21s and Bristol Rovers. They are not back in league action until 21 November when Stockport County visit the Cledara Abbey Stadium.

Leyton Orient: Baxter, Stevens, Edmonds-Green (Olowu 56’), Gilchrist, Boniface (Wellens 80’), Gilbert, El Mizouni, Connolly (Springett 80’), Dobra (Hayden 73’), O’Neill, Kabia (Scarlett 73’)

Cambridge United: Eastwood, Watts, Heffernan, Perry (Lavery 46’), Bradshaw, Bennett (Curtis 84’), Mpanzu, Hoddle (Moxon 56’), Knight (Bangura-Williams 66’), Kaikai, Appere (Heath 66’)