Crewe Alexandra delivered a dominant performance to beat promotion rivals Bristol Rovers 3-1 at Mornflake Stadium, climbing to third place in the league standings.
Jack Lankester scored twice and Jordan Gibson added a second-half goal to secure the victory. Bobby Kamwa's long-range effort in injury time was scant consolation for the visitors.
Early Dominance
Crewe manager Lee Bell made two changes to the side that drew at Rotherham. Matus Holicek missed out with a slight knock, and Jordan Gibson dropped to the bench as Lankester was restored to the line-up. Owen Lunt made his first league start of the season.
Lankester opened the scoring in the first minute, cutting in from the right and curling a finish past keeper Brad Young into the bottom corner. Bristol Rovers almost levelled immediately when Ciaran Kelly's shot cannoned off the bar.
On 21 minutes, Crewe doubled their lead from the penalty spot after Luke Offord was brought down. Lankester completed the formalities to make it 2-0 at the break.
Second Half
Bristol Rovers made four changes at half-time and pressed for a way back into the game, but Crewe struck the decisive blow on 66 minutes. Josh March sent a pass that carved open the Rovers defence, and Gibson took a touch before drilling home for his second goal in successive home matches.
Kamwa's wonder goal came in injury time, but there was insufficient time for Bristol Rovers to mount another comeback. The result extends Crewe's unbeaten run to nine games in the league.
Attendance: 5,964 (995 Bristol Rovers supporters). Referee: M Russell.