Essendon have inflicted a first home loss of the AFL season on COVID-19 hit Brisbane, defeating the Lions by 10 points at the Gabba.
In-form tall forward Peter Wright kicked five goals for the Bombers as they pulled off a Sunday afternoon ambush on the undermanned Lions with a 15.10 (100) to 13.12 (90) win.
The Lions, who lost nine players to a combination of injury and COVID-19 in the build-up to the match, threatened to snatch the win in the final minutes but couldn't find a way to avoid a defeat which may have ramifications on their top four aspirations.
Jye Caldwell, who spent much of the afternoon marking stand-in Lions captain Lachie Neale, was a stand-out performer with 26 touches, seven tackles and a vital fourth-quarter goal.
Zach Merrett was also impressive for the visitors with 31 touches, six clearances and three goal assists.
Kyle Langford was the other multiple goalkicker for the Bombers with four majors.
Brisbane's goals were shared, with Lincoln McCarthy kicking three and Oscar McInerney and Mitch Robinson two each.
Brandon Starcevich (26 disposals, seven marks, five tackles) and Hugh McCluggage (29 disposals, four clearances) were solid performers for the hosts, whose pressure was well down on their normal efforts as they slipped to a first home loss since last year's semi-final against the Western Bulldogs.
It's Brisbane's first regular season defeat at home since their round one loss to Sydney at the start of last season.
After a goalless opening 16 minutes, Langford was the catalyst to the Bombers taking the lead in the contest with three goals in the second quarter.
The Lions came out firing in the second half, with talls Darcy Fort and McInerney scoring back-to-back goals before Bombers captain Dyson Heppell and Wright restored their three-goal advantage.
A fantastic snap on the run by McCarthy and Robinson's second had the Lions within six points before Wright's third goal of the term ensured a 12-point margin at the final turn.
The Bombers held the Lions at arm's length for much of the fourth quarter before Eric Hipwood's goal with less than five minutes to play had the Lions trailing by just five points.
From the resulting centre bounce, however, the Bombers went straight down the middle and Caldwell slotted a vital goal on the run from outside 50m.
Cam Rayner responded for the Lions but when Starcevich was penalised in the dying seconds it sealed the win for the Bombers, with Matt Guelfi kicking a goal after the siren to add an exclamation point for an Essendon team who have won three of their past four matches.
