Crewe 6-1 Crawley: Alexandra hit 10-man visitors in first-half blitz

Four goals inside seven first-half minutes steered Crewe to their first win in six games as they hammered 10-man Crawley in a 6-1 victory.

Crawley's Ollie Palmer fired his side ahead from the penalty spot in the 12th minute after Crewe's stand-in captain Perry Ng's clumsy push floored Reece Grego-Cox.

But the Railwaymen turned the game in emphatic fashion with their goal blitz toward the end of the first half.

Ng made amends when he slipped in Jordan Bowery on the right and the striker thundered in off the near post to level in the 36th minute.

Charlie Kirk broke free on the left and his angled drive was diverted past Glenn Morris by defender Tom Dallison two minutes later.

The hosts moved 3-1 ahead when Kirk's shot was saved by Morris and, despite Bowery failing with the rebound, the ball fell in the path of the unmarked Chris Porter at the far post to apply a simple tap-in.

Joe McNerney then lost possession to Paul Green who was left with only Morris to beat before faking his finish and picking his spot for Crewe's fourth in the 43rd minute.

Kirk was thwarted by Morris as he went through on goal after the restart, but he was not to be denied when he turned in Ng's low cross from close range two minutes after the restart.

Crewe could have had more, but Morris turned Ollie Finney's 25-yard effort around a post and Green smashed the underside of the crossbar and clear before Crawley's misery was compounded by substitute Ibrahim Meite's straight red card in the 78th minute for elbowing Eddie Nolan.

Substitute Owen Dale fired home his first senior goal into the top corner for Crewe's sixth late on to complete the rout.

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