There were no goals in the first half, but there was no shortage of chances in an open and entertaining game.
Crewe winger Joel Grant lit up the contest with a brilliant run in the second minute, leaving three defenders in his wake before striking a shot which was deflected for a corner.
And it was Grant who got on the end of a splendid five-man move by the home side before the former Aldershot wide man flashed his effort a foot wide.
It was far from one-way traffic, however, and Colchester were giving the Crewe defence plenty to think about at the other end.
Mark Yeates posed a particular threat, but it was Scott Vernon who went close in the sixth minute when he shot into the side-netting after Steve Collis had spilled Anthony Wordsworth's cross.
And Collis soon had the chance to redeem himself when he pulled off an acrobatic stop from Wordsworth who struck a fierce effort from 20 yards.
Crewe did come closest to opening the scoring six minutes before the break, with Phil Ifil clearing Julien Baudet's close-range shot off the line.
And the home side did break the deadlock, courtesy of a real howler by Dean Gerken, two minutes after the interval.
Gerken had the ball covered when Michael O'Connor curled in a free-kick from the left flank, but he somehow fluffed his lines to allow the effort to drift past him.
The goal flattened Colchester and Anthony Elding should have made it two before his 67th-minute replacement Tom Pope did so just two minutes after coming on.
Billy Jones flighted over a cross after his initial corner had been knocked back into his path and Pope headed in from six yards, despite the best efforts of a defender to clear.
A miserable day for the visitors was compounded three minutes from time when substitute Dean Hammond was sent off for a reckless challenge on Danny Woodards.