A Luis Silva hat-trick helped DC United to record a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Impact, who remain bottom of the Eastern Conference after a dramatic encounter at Saputo Stadium.

United opened the scoring in just the sixth minute when Fabian Espindola played a defence-splitting pass to find Silva, who slotted the ball past Troy Perkins.

However, Montreal were quickly level thanks to clever play from Hassoun Camara and Jack McInerney, with the latter firing home from the corner of the box.

The Impact then pulled ahead in the 21st minute when Andres Romero took advantage of some sloppy defending inside the box to drill a loose ball past Andrew Dykstra.

Montreal's lead lasted for just two minutes as Espindola made an impact again with an inch-perfect cross which allowed Nick DeLeon to convert from close range.

Silva scored his second of the night in emphatic fashion as he collected the ball 30 yards from goal before unleashing an unstoppable effort to find the top corner.

An enthralling first half ended with Silva completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Hassoun Camara had fouled Steve Birnbaum inside the area.

United returned for the second half full of confidence, but DeLeon and Birnbaum both missed opportunities to extend the away side's lead.

Montreal were gifted the chance to set up a dramatic finish with just 14 minutes remaining when Davy Arnaud handled inside the box, but Patrice Bernier's penalty struck the post before hitting Dykstra and bouncing to safety.

The hosts struggled to recover following the setback, and United were able to hold on for the win in the closing stages.