THERE are moments in matches that are pivotal to their outcomes and there are moments that give you a hint of the future. Last night, it was Essendon that won the moments that decided the contest but Carlton showed it has a future.

In an engrossing and highly entertaining contest between two of the competition's true rivals, Essendon withstood a third-term Carlton onslaught to win by 16 points.

A streak of eight goals that started, when skipper Matthew Lloyd kicked a signature long goal at the 32-minute mark of the third quarter with his team trailing by 13 points, put the Bombers on their way to victory.

Carlton had seemed to have the match within its grasp but Adam McPhee goalled after the siren to make the margin one point. Instead of going into the final break with their tails between their legs, Essendon had all but nullified a nine-goal term by the Blues.

With the match in the balance, Essendon started the fourth quarter with all the intensity and poured on the pressure.

Mark McVeigh had been a star in the first half pitted against Marc Murphy but had gone missing in the third quarter. He came to the fore in the opening minutes of the last term with an important goal that gave the Bombers the lead.

For the next 15 minutes, with the match up for grabs, the Bombers ran the Blues off their feet. When Brendan Fevola chopped up Mal Michael in the third term, Essendon coach Matthew Knights turned to Patrick Ryder in the last to stop Fevola's influence. Ryder did the job to perfection, running off Fevola, who had worked hard all night, to help create goals for the Dons.

Lloyd had been well held by Michael Jamison in the first half, but the skipper stood up when his team needed him, kicking four goals in the second half — two in the final quarter.

Essendon's work rate was just too much for its opponents in the last quarter, grabbing 82 possessions in total to 64 for Carlton, which had led the disposal count for most of the night.

Blues fans will have walked away from the MCG disappointed last night. They would have thought the match was theirs for the taking midway through the third quarter with Fevola on fire and Chris Judd and Nick Stevens feeding the big forward who kicked five of his eight goals in that quarter. But while the result did not go their way, they could not be unhappy with the debut of the No. 1 draft pick Matthew Kreuzer.

He joined that growing club of AFL players who kicked a goal with their first kick in AFL football and created other opportunities for his midfielders and forwards, with his defensive work also impressive.

At one stage in the second quarter after contesting a ruck contest, Kreuzer blocked an Essendon handball before sending the ball into attack for a Stevens goal. The teenager's 17-possession debut was one of the more impressive in recent times, especially for the Blues.

Judd's continuing improvement would have also gladdened the fans. He looked to run more freely this week and his third quarter, when he won 12 possessions alone was outstanding and an important reason why Carlton grabbed the match by the throat.

It was a match that had exciting moments. Andrew Lovett's return to football after a club-imposed suspension was, at times, sensational. He kicked two goals, one in each of second and third quarters, that were brilliant. His pace and run through the lines were devastating.

On one occasion he gathered the ball in defence before running through the centre of the ground and into attack, taking three bounces before kicking a long goal.

Carlton's Eddie Betts was another to excite, with 27 possessions for the night. He created opportunities for his teammates, kicking just one goal for the night but being a real playmaker.

If there was one down side to last night's match it was the lack of defensive pressure. While the match was an exciting shoot-out between the two teams, both sides showed little desire to apply defensive pressure, a trait that will hurt against the competition's best sides.

ESSENDON 6.4 11.8 17.11 23.12 (150)
CARLTON 5.2 9.4 18.6 21.8 (134)
GOALS Essendon: Lloyd 4, McVeigh 4, Monfries 2, Lovett 2, Lonergan 2, Davey, Laycock, Hille, Reimers, Peverill, Ramanauskas, Ryder, McPhee, Houli. Carlton: Fevola 8, Stevens 2, Kreuzer 2, Judd 2, Hadley, Carrazzo, Betts, Fisher, Bannister, Murphy, Gibbs.
BEST Essendon: McVeigh, Lovett, Hille, Monfries, Fletcher, Davey. Carlton: Betts, Judd, Fevola, Stevens, Kreuzer, Murphy.
INJURIES Essendon: Jetta (hamstring), Hille (neck), Peverill (cut head). Carlton: Nil.
REPORTS Nil.
UMPIRES: Kamolins, K Nicholls, Ryan.
CROWD: 64,388 at MCG.

THE UPSHOT
THE Bombers have had two wins from three rounds with their fast, break-neck footy. They have kicked high scores but have also let plenty of goals in, a worrying trend against the better teams.

TURNING POINT
AFTER a sensational third term in which the Blues grabbed the lead late in the quarter, Adam McPhee kicked a big goal after the three-quarter-time siren that made sure the Bombers trailed by only one point at the break.

HOT AND COLD
IT WAS a pretty hot night with all players attacking the footy and the match turning into a shootout. It was tough for defenders as forwards ruled the night and Brendon Fevola's eight goals left Mal Michael feeling pretty cold.