A rare goal from centre half Dave Walton and a first strike for the club from John Miles earned Crewe an unconvincing 2-0 win over lowly Mansfield.
Dario Gradi's side had already put 12 goals past he Stags in three previous meeting this season, but the visitors were a better organised force in the sixth game of new boss Keith Curle's stewardship.
The Stags should have taken a first half lead when Craig Disley inexplicably lifted the rebound over the Crewe bar from close range, after Tom Curtis' shot had come back off the post.
The gulf between the two teams was hardly evident as Crewe struggled to make an impression with a make shift strike force of Rodney Jack and Steve Jones, in the absence of leading scorer Rob Hulse.
The home side's first opening of note in the first half came when David Wright passed across the face of goal but Kenny Lunt miscued badly with only Kevin Pilkington to beat.
It took a deflected effort to break the deadlock with Walton arriving at the back post after Dave Brammer's long free kick came off the head of a Mansfield player.
From a tight angle Walton volleyed in to the far corner and immediately substitute Miles who had been waiting to come on replaced the ineffective Jones in the forward line.
Jack could have extended the lead, when he broke free but he shot straight at the keeper.
MansfieldÂ’s Christie who had been a lively handful for the Crewe defence ended visiting hopes when he was sent off in the 66th minute for his second bookable offence, an elbow on goalscorer Walton.
Crewe's injury worries worsened seven minutes from time when Jack stumbled on the ball and was stretchered off with knee ligament damage.
Miles later scored his first goal since joining on a free transfer from Liverpool when he took BrammerÂ’s pass and ran in to shoot in to the far corner of Pilkington's net deep in to injury time.