A third win in seven days took Tranmere into the top six in Coca-Cola League One as basement side Crewe were beaten 2-0.
Crewe battled bravely but went behind to a Steven Jennings goal early in the second half and Chris Shuker sealed the points for the home side after 74 minutes.
To rub salt into the wounds the visitors had Billy Jones sent off three minutes from time for a professional foul on Bas Savage.
The breakthrough came after 51 minutes, with Jennings having an easy tap in from a Shuker cross after a mistake by Byron Moore.
It needed an excellent block by Crewe keeper Steve Collis to deny Ian Moore a second after 65 minutes. But the home side doubled their advantage after 75 minutes.
Shuker collected an Ian Goodison clearance near the half-way line and raced through to beat Collis with an angled shot. It got worse for the visitors when Jones was dismissed in the 87th minute for bringing down Savage inches outside the box.
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