Shaun Whalley’s brilliant finish helps Accrington stun high-flyng Crewe

An eye-catching first-half finish from Shaun Whalley earned Accrington Stanley a shock 1-0 win at promotion-chasing Crewe.

Lowly Stanley offered a first-half threat and defended meticulously in the second half as they made it three wins from their last four games to ease relegation fears, while ending Crewe’s five-game unbeaten run.

Donald Love and Whalley both had great early chances for the visitors, with the latter hitting the underside of the crossbar.

Whalley then put Accrington ahead in the 16th minute with an outstanding finish. Seizing on a misplaced pass by Jack Powell, the forward spotted Filip Marschall off his line and arced a shot over the goalkeeper’s head and into the far corner.

Jamie Knight-Lebel hacked the ball clear from his own goalmouth after an effort from Hunter as Stanley pushed for another.

After the restart, Omar Bogle drove an effort high over from a tight angle and a promising run into the box by Max Conway came to nothing.

Accrington produced a resilient effort to keep out their promotion-chasing hosts, while at the other end, Farrend Rawson’s powerful header from a set-piece was ruled out for an infringement.