Leyton Orient extend their lead at the top of League Two with win over Rochdale

Leyton Orient extended their lead at the top of League Two with a 2-1 home win over bottom club Rochdale.

Ruel Sotiriou and Idris El Mizouni netted first-half goals for the hosts to give them what appeared to be a comfortable lead but the visitors were galvanised by a strike from Danny Lloyd after the break.

Sotiriou scored in the 18th minute when he latched onto a long defence-splitting pass from Theo Archibald and drilled an unstoppable shot past Richard O’Donnell.

El Mizouni doubled the advantage 11 minutes later when he lashed the ball into the net following a Tom James free-kick.

Totally dominant in the first half, the O’s were made to work hard for the points after the interval and when Lloyd netted with a fine effort into the far corner of the net in the 56th minute, Rochdale’s belief improved.

However, the O’s defence, who have only conceded five goals at home this season, proved resilient to deny their opponents who remain at the foot of the table and five points from safety.