Bristol Rovers were beaten after an emphatic first-half performance from Leyton Orient helped them on their way to a 3-0 victory in Sky Bet League One.
Despite a slow start to the contest, the O's broke the deadlock through a set-piece, with Dan Happe getting onto the end of Tom James' dangerous cross to direct his header off the post and beyond Josh Griffiths.
The hosts never looked back from that point onwards and dominated the rest of the first 45 minutes. Ollie O'Neil doubled their lead with a curling finish into the top-right corner before Dan Agyei dispatched his strike from a tight angle after winning possession off Clinton Mola.
Orient continued to push after the break and searched for a fourth goal through Agyei, but Griffiths denied him three times, with the score remaining the same at full-time.
Rovers made six changes to the side that started the win over Barnsley in the Emirates FA Cup, with James Wilson, Scott Sinclair, Grant Ward, Ruel Sotiriou, Connor Taylor and Chris Martin coming into the side.
There was little to separate the two sides in the opening exchanges, with the ball trapped in the midfield before Orient took the lead with the first shot on target of the contest. James' curling free-kick from a deep position on the left was latched onto by Happe, who flicked his header against the post and into the net.
The O’s gained confidence from taking the lead and played clever football in tight space to get up the pitch. Sonny Perkins looked to double the advantage to put the hosts in complete control, getting onto the end of Jack Currie’s cutback before lifting his strike over the top of the bar.
The Pirates struggled to retain possession for extended periods and could not get a foothold in the first half, with Orient netting again just before the half-hour mark. O’Neil stole the ball on the left side of the box, quickly shifting it onto his right foot before whipping his shot across the goal and beyond Griffiths.
Orient had most of their success down the left flank, with Jack Currie and O’Neil combining to great effect. This time, it was left-back Currie who was causing problems, curling an inviting cross across the face of the goal, but Jamie Donley could not turn it in on the slide.
Richie Wellens’ side continued to push forward, with Agyei forcing a strong save out of Griffiths before powering in Orient’s third goal just before half-time. He won the ball of Clinton Mola on the byline before crashing his shot past the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
David Horseman looked to add fresh legs in the second half to add extra impetus, with Michael Forbes, Joel Senior, Luke McCormick and Gatlin O’Donkor entering the fray. However, not much changed for the Gas, with Orient still enjoying the better opportunities.
After a quiet opening period to the second 45 minutes, Donley played the ball into Perkins, but his turning shot grazed the side of the net.
O'Neil then whipped a searching corner into the box that was cleared off the line before Griffiths was called into action again, twice getting down to his left to parry away Agyei's low strikes across the goal.
Ageyi proved to be a constant threat for the O's and was desperate to get his brace. The forward moved down the right side of the box this time before switching onto his left foot and finessing a strike on target, but Griffiths sprung across to push it behind.
The Gas failed to put Orient under any pressure for most of the contest, with their best opportunity coming five minutes from the end. Senior raced down the right and fired a low cross towards Sinclair, but he poked his sliding shot wide.
Leyton Orient: Keeley, James, Happe (Simpson 57), Agyei (Kelman 85), Currie (Sweeney 86), Ball, Donley, Pratley (Brown 8), Beckles, Perkins, O’Neil (Jaiyesimi 86).
Subs not used: Phillips, Obiero
Goals: Happe 17, O’Neil 29, Agyei 45+1.
Booked: Currie 78
Bristol Rovers: Griffiths, Moore (Senior 56), Wilson, Mola (Forbes 56), Sinclair, Ward (McCormick 65), Sotiriou (O’Donkor 65), Taylor, Martin, Forde, Lindsay (Garrett 80)
Subs not used: Hutchinson, McCormick, O’Donkor, Bilongo
Booked: Forbes 65
Referee: James Linington
Attendance: 6422 (498 away)
