United made the relatively short hop down the M6 for their Saturday afternoon away fixture looking to build on good performances against Barrow and Sunderland.
And manager Chris Beech made two changes to the starting eleven from last weekend, with Joe Riley and Gavin Reilly coming in for Josh Kayode (international duty with Ireland) and Ethan Walker (shoulder injury) respectively.
United had early defending to do as Vale broke down the right flank. A lobbed cross was watched closely by Hayden and he did well to get it away as he came under pressure from Pope.
Rodney had two shots blocked in quick succession when he ghosted into the area, with Vale looking to get men forward, and United responded with a quickfire move which saw Mellish pop the ball through for Reilly to strike. He caught it well but it was always rising high.
The Blues had defending to do again when Pope cushioned a clipped pass on his chest. Robinson dropped a shoulder and pulled it back but the shot from Montano was cleared before it could reach the line. The away defence closed ranks as Robinson swept a follow up punt wide of the angle of post and bar.
United stayed calm and a spin from Toure left him with a clear sight of the target. A rasping 28-yard drive had to be palmed away by Brown.
Carlisle came again with a free kick from Riley which caused all kinds of problems. Reilly took it under control and it needed another good save to prevent his short-range goal bound effort from bulging the net.
It was a good spell for the visitors and a huge kick from Farman was touched on by Reilly. He found Alessandra, who slowed things down as he waited for Mellish to arrive. It needed Legge to get a toe to it as the trigger was about to be pulled.
A hurried clearance brought a quick throw and a wonderful touch from Alessandra which saw him hook the ball over his shoulder as he left two in his wake. He was at a tight angle and his low drive was shepherded away.
The Cumbrians were dangerous with almost every delivery and Riley did well to scoop a deep cross back into the mix as he arrived late in the box. Toure jumped highest but he couldn't keep his header down.
For all of the away pressure it was Vale who should have opened the scoring on 16 minutes when Worrall brought Montano into play. His cross was perfect for Devante Rodney but he somehow guided the header wide from inside the six-yard box.
Attack was the order of the day from both sides, and Callum Guy signalled his intent as he burst through with the ball at his feet. He let fly from distance but Brown was able to watch it away.
Excellent work from Reilly saw him twist and turn on the edge of the area and his crunching cross brought a lunge from Mellish. He couldn't quite get there and the clearance was completed.
Midfielder Joe Riley picked things up and he slipped Alessandra into clear space on the right flank. A first time delivery was begging to be put away but it curled agonisingly away from the danger zone.
Mitch Clark whistled one over at the other end as he worked space from a Worrall throw, but there was a talking point on 41 minutes when Whitehead cynically scythed Gime Toure to the floor. A yellow was shown for the challenge.
The sides went into the break locked in a stalemate, but there had been plenty of action and a feeling that all that was needed was a goal for the points to be taken.
There was an early shout for a penalty from George Tanner when he was upended in the box with just 50 seconds on the second half clock, but the referee pointed to the corner quadrant as he waved the claims away.
The lively Gime Toure then bent one over after he'd fed off an Alessandra pass, but the hosts were awarded a penalty when a Worrall delivery pinged around inside the area.
A tackle from Alessandra on Worrall brought the whistle, but Farman went the right way as he made the save from Pope's spot kick. Whitehead was on the follow-up but he was thwarted by an excellent goal-saving challenge from Mellish. Hayden was also on hand to complete the clearance.
Carlisle attacked with intent as they regrouped and Toure found himself with a real opportunity. He'd stayed deep, but his crunching volley took a touch from a defender's thigh as it deflected the wrong side of the post.
Striker Gav Reilly was excellent from the corner as he shielded the ball. He somehow lost his man and the parry from his shot from Brown left Jon Mellish with the comfortable task of making it four goals from his last three games, and all in the space of a week.
The away side looked confident and Tanner brushed challenges aside as he romped into the area. The ball bounced off the keeper, then off Reilly, and Legge was relieved to be able to swipe it clear.
Neat passing from Toure and Alessandra presented Riley with a chance, but he was closed down quickly and his deflected toe poke was easy for Brown to gather.
A trademark run from Toure saw him go past three and he used Mellish as an outlet as they appraoched the edge of the area. A fizzed cross had Brown rooted to his spot but there was nobody there to finish it off.
It was Carlisle who asked the better questions, with Port Vale unable to create much in the way of chances, and some of the possession football played by the visitors was very good to watch.
Another forward movement was sparked when Alessandra showed strength inside the centre circle. He sent it onwards to Toure, and his quick feet had the Vale defence at sixes and sevens. He tried to find the top corner but it crept just past the target as he let one go from a very tight angle.
United had the chance to close the game out with three minutes left to play when a loose pass from Legge left Toure with just the stopper to beat. Brown did well to stay big and make the save as the striker bore down on him.
Vale probed as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes but Whitehead got under his shot after Worrall and Conlon had tried to work an opening.
The Cumbrians saw the game out well, and they deservedly greeted the final whistle with a collective cheer having earned their three points.
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Goals
Carlisle United - Mellish (54)
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Bookings
Port Vale - Crookes (20), Whitehead (41), Montano (90)
Carlisle United - Alessandra (41)
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Teams
Port Vale - Brown, Crookes, Legge (c), Worrall, Pope (McKirdy 60), Montano, Robinson, Clark, Whitehead, Burgess (Conlon 60), Rodney. Subs - Visser (gk), Joyce, Brisley, Fitzpatrick, Hurst.
Carlisle United - Farman, Tanner, Hayden, McDonald, Anderton (c), Riley (Malley 90), Guy, Mellish, Alessandra, Reilly (Devine 77), Toure. Subs - Norman (gk), Hunt, Armer, Furman, Bell.
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Match officials
Referee - James Bell
Assistant Referee 1 - Darren Wilding
Assistant Referee 2 - Steven Plane
Fourth Official - Oliver Bickle
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Attendance - BCD