Crewe Alexandra claimed all three points from a dramatic season opener at Crawley Town, winning 1-0 with a 95th-minute header from striker Josh March.
March arrived on the end of a superb Joel Tabiner cross and thumped his effort in off the underside of the bar to seal the victory. The goal came after 10 minutes of added injury time in intense heat.
Red cards shape the match
The drama unfolded across the second half. Crawley were reduced to ten men on 51 minutes when defender Kellan Gordon was sent off for reacting violently to a challenge by Joe White, pushing him to the floor.
On 65 minutes, Malcolm Ebiowei was shown a red card for Crawley for reacting to an Agius foul. Despite playing with nine men, Crawley's defence proved stubborn and resisted sustained pressure from Crewe.
The advantage swung back when Crewe skipper Mickey Demetriou was sent off on 85 minutes for a late tackle, reducing Crewe to ten men with just minutes remaining.
Crewe created multiple chances
Lee Bell named an unchanged starting 11 from Crewe's previous Carabao Cup match against Accrington. New signing Charlie McNeill was among the substitutes.
Crewe had 18 shots in total, forced 11 corners, and created four big chances. Jordan Gibson went close twice, and Jack Lankester almost connected on a March nod-back. Keeper Tom Booth made a key save from Stephen Duke-McKenna's effort early in the second half.
The first half remained goalless despite an open, exciting game early on. As the heat intensified, the tempo faded and Crawley had most of the ball, but neither side threatened the goalkeeper.
