Leyton Orient made it 10 games unbeaten and moved five points clear at the top of League Two with victory in their summit meeting at Barrow.

Paul Smyth and Idris El Mizouni netted in either half to secure a ninth win of the campaign for Richie Wellens' side and ensure a happy return to east London.

Jordan Brown and Theo Archibald came into the side in place of Tom James (injured) and Ruel Sotiriou, who was included on the bench, respectively.

And the visitors needed a big block from Dan Happe to deny Josh Gordon after just three minutes, as Barrow made a bright start.

El Mizouni made an interception to break up a home attack and produced a 50-yard run, only to be well tackled by Tyrell Warren.

And Omar Beckles made a vital intervention on 11 minutes as Ben Whitfield whipped the ball into the box in the direction of Gordon.

O's had their first half-chance as Lawrence Vigouroux Paul Smyth, but he could not pick out George Moncur with his cutback.

And Vigouroux was then called upon to deny Warren, when he got into the box and angled the ball goalwards.

Darren Pratley was booked on the half-hour mark following an off-the-ball incident, with George Ray heading Smyth's long throw out for a corner soon after.

Having dug deep in the opening stages, the visitors were seeing more of the ball as the half progressed, with Archibald getting involved, and they took the lead when the Scot produced a fine run and found Smyth to tuck into the corner on 36 minutes.

Josh Kay sent a half volley over the crossbar as Barrow looked to respond, but O's then saw Charlie Kelman's tight angled shot blocked by Ray at the expense of a corner on 42 minutes.

And a dangerous cross by Archibald was well cleared by Warren before the break as O's led by a single goal at half-time.

Archibald saw another cross blocked at point-blank range by Warren within two minutes of the restart, which left the Barrow man needing treatment.

But Happe had to produce a wonderful tackle at the other end to stop a driving run by Whitfield on 49 minutes, before Smyth's shot was deflected behind and Brown saw his effort from the corner also deflected for another set-piece.

Harrison Neal's flicked header dropped just wide for Barrow on 53 minutes, with O's making their first change moments later as Pratley was replaced by Craig Clay.

Kelman then saw his driven ball across the six-yard box fail to find a teammate and Moncur's superb volley went just wide of the far post.

And Smyth's drilled cross was clawed away by Paul Farman, before Beckles headed Smyth's cross over the crossbar on 62 minutes.

Ray was off-target from close range midway through the half, after Barrow had made a double substitution and replaced Myles Kenlock and Robbie Gotts with Patrick Brough and David Moyo.

Kelman made way for Aaron Drinan in the second O's change of the day, with Farman producing an excellent reflex save to keep out Smyth's flicked header on 68 minutes.

Irishman Smyth was replaced by Cyprus under-21 international Sotiriou for the last 17 minutes of the match and O's doubled their lead moments later as El Mizouni picked the ball up some 25 yards from goal and fired it past Farman into the bottom corner for his first goal for the club.

Gordon sliced a volley wide for Barrow, before Archibald was shown a yellow card, and the hosts were reduced to 10 men when Kay was dismissed for a foul on Archibald, his second bookable offence.

Moncur was denied a third by Neal during eight minutes of stoppage time, while Sotiriou saw his effort fly just past the post before Brown was booked for kicking the ball away in the seventh of eight additional minutes.

Leyton Orient: Vigouroux, Brown, Beckles Happe, Sweeney, Pratley (Clay 54), Moncur, El Mizouni, Smyth (Sotiriou 73), Kelman (Drinan 66), Archibald. Unused subs: Sargeant, Ogie, Wareham, Obiero.

Attendance: 4,629 (including 258 Orient fans).