Carlisle United 3 Newport County 2: Two goals from Georgie Kelly and a late Aaron Hayden winner saw Carlisle come from behind to cling onto their faint survival hopes.
Hayden slid in the decisive goal in the 84th minute at Brunton Park to leave Mark Hughes' side eight points from safety with five games to go.
The Blues were two goals adrift after 28 minutes as Kieron Evans and Bobby Kamwa scored in quick succession for Newport.
But Kelly's first goal for the club cut the deficit before half-time, and the striker then netted again as United battled back.
Defender Hayden then won it with his second of the season as League Two's bottom club scored three in a game for the first time all campaign.
Carlisle's prospects of survival are still remote but their fightback was welcomed by a 5,889 crowd at Brunton Park.
Hughes made three changes to his line-up, with Jack Ellis, Hayden and Stephen Wearne all coming into the XI.
They took the places of Sam Lavelle, Charlie McArthur and Matt Dennis, with captain Lavelle out of the squad with injury and Dennis deemed fit enough for a place on the bench despite a hamstring problem earlier in the week.
Terell Thomas captained the side as Lavelle missed only his fourth league game of the season. Sean Fusire made his first home start despite Tuesday's facial injury at Chesterfield, while Kelly kept his place up front for his second start of the campaign.
Newport boss Nelson Jardim also made three changes, recalling David Ajiboye, Shan McLoughlin and Kieron Evans, as Courtney Baker-Richardson, Keenan Patten and Josh Martin missed out, frontman Baker-Richardson out of the squad.
Carlisle's already remote hopes were rendered even more tiny by Tranmere Rovers' 4-0 win over Chesterfield in an early kick-off - leaving the Blues 11 points from safety before the game at Brunton Park got under way.
United worked an early position when Wearne's cross saw Kelly battle with McLoughlin, but the striker was penalised as he brought the ball down.
For the visitors, Joe Thomas was closed down in the United box before Fusire's low shot was saved by Newport keeper Nick Townsend.
United came closer on 14 minutes when Kadeem Harris's powerful curling shot went just over, while Gabe Breeze had to be alert to deny Kieron Evans when the visitors found a way through.
Then latter then tested Breeze from distance following a throw, before Archie Davies' first half was cut short by an injury.
Charlie McArthur took his place, as Ellis moved to right-back.
And United then plummeted to a two-goal deficit in the space of two minutes.
First, Newport got through Carlisle to the left as Evans went clear to slot past Breeze.
Bobby Kamwa's dipping shot from distance made it 2-0 for the visitors (Image: Ben Holmes)
And they immediately added another as Kamwa received it more than 30 yards from goal and his dipping shot caught Breeze out as it sailed over him and into the net.
Carlisle, though, cut the deficit five minutes later when Callum Whelan fed Wearne, who in turn supplied Kelly to the left of goal and the striker turned it across Townsend and into the bottom corner.
And the Blues could then have levelled when they cleared a corner and Fusire and Wearne attacked an outnumbered defence, but Fusire's pass for his team-mate was intercepted.
Harris then shot over from 25 yards as Carlisle remained on the front foot, and Whelan later saw an attempt blocked.
The officials, including 26-year-old ref Ruebyn Ricardo, came in for regular stick while United vented at assistant Emmanuel Edet when he kept his flag down as Kamwa received a diagonal ball on the left before shooting waywardly.
The half ended with Hayden having a head injury bandaged, and the second half begun with the defender sliding in to prevent Ajiboye making it three after he got away from Terell Thomas.
Carlisle then forced a good opening when Josh Vela arrived onto Kelly's knock-down but Townsend saves.
Hughes then introduced Dennis for Vela, and after Breeze saved at Kieron Evans' foot, Carlisle forced their way level on the hour mark.
A short corner on the left saw Harris cross and, after Newport scrambled it away, Fusire kept it alive before Kelly got the final touch in the six-yard box to send the ball into the bottom left corner.
Carlisle then looked to complete the turnaround and a McArthur cross almost set something up before Wearne saw a shot deflected behind.
The resulting corner saw Thomas denied before Hayden's next attempt rolled just out of Dennis' reach in front of goal.
Carlisle were doing most of the attacking now, Kelly trying his luck to no avail from 30 yards, but Newport then broke and came close as Kamwa's shot was saved by Breeze and McArthur's miscued clearance saw Anthony Glennon then shoot, his effort tipped over by the keeper.
Aaron Hayden, left, hit United's late winner (Image: Ben Holmes)
At the other end Terell Thomas was denied after Hayden and Dennis had helped the ball on in Newport territory.
But Carlisle's pressure eventually told late on.
First, sub Joe Hugill hit the left-hand post with a free-kick from 30 yards.
But United kept it alive and their next delivery from the left put pressure on the home six-yard box before Hayden slid home his second of the season.
It sparked big celebrations on the bench as Carlisle turned things around, the Cumbrians then holding Newport off in five added minutes to claim the points.
United: Breeze, Davies (McArthur 24), Ellis, T Thomas, Hayden, Vela (Dennis 54), Whelan, Fusire (Bevan 80), Harris, Wearne (Hugill 80), Kelly. Not used: Lewis, Guy, Barclay.
Goals: Kelly 33, 60; Hayden 84.
Booked: Hayden, Dennis, Bevan.
Newport: Townsend, Glennon, Clarke, C Evans, Baker, McLoughlin, J Thomas, Antwi, K Evans (Whitmore 71), Kamwa, Ajiboye (Martin 66). Not used: Webb, Brennan, Spellman, Bony, Patten.
Goals: K Evans 26, Kamwa 28.
Booked: Martin.
Ref: Ruebyn Ricardo.
Crowd: 5,889 (205 Newport fans).
