Off-colour Adelaide were fortunate to survive an AFL dogfight no-one expected against lowly Essendon, the Crows winning by five points at a damp AAMI Stadium.

The Bombers confounded expectations by gliding to an early three goal lead and stayed in the contest all night, Adelaide nervously securing the points and a spot in the league's top four 9.20 (74) to 10.9 (69).

Crows coach Neil Craig paid Essendon the compliment of using captain Simon Goodwin in the middle where he was outstanding for the home side, Scott Thompson also winning plenty of the ball.

Ben Rutten and Nathan Bock held Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas to one goal between them.

Brett Burton (two goals) had plenty of the ball but failed to capitalise on numerous opportunities and may also catch the attention of the league's match review panel for high first term contact on Henry Slattery.

Jason Winderlich (two goals), ruckman David Hille and tall backman Dustin Fletcher were all excellent for an Essendon side that fought gamely to the last.

The Crows had expressed their attacking intentions against an opponent in dreadful form by starting swingman Scott Stevens up forward while Bock and Rutten minded Lucas and Lloyd respectively.

Neither had much influence on the early proceedings but they were the exceptions as the Bombers stormed the Adelaide fort to impressive effect.

Capitalising on a Crows side that appeared to have the same mentally slack approach they took to Subiaco in last week's loss to West Coast, the visitors fired through the game's first three goals.

Though Adelaide began to win more of the ball as the quarter went on, poor finishing kept the Bombers ahead and Burton's frustrated front-on bump to Slattery epitomised the unease felt by fans across the stadium.

Slippery conditions made it quite a task for Adelaide and it wasn't until midway through the second term that they caught up.

Graham Johncock and Jason Porplyzia both nabbed goals and looked a useful small forward tandem in the conditions, only for Winderlich's second to restore the Bombers' lead.

There were shades of rope-a-dope in the third, Adelaide building still more momentum through Thompson, Burton and Goodwin but in danger of punching themselves out by poor goalkicking.

Twenty minutes in they still trailed, 5.16 (46) to Essendon's 7.5 (47), having shanked a wayward 1.9 for the term and it took an extraordinary volleyed effort by Burton to squeeze them in front at the last change.

The last term proved to be frightfully close, Adelaide again missing shots that would have made the game safe and allowing Essendon, through Adam McPhee and youngster Sam Lonergan, to keep the home side nervous until the siren.

Craig was relieved to have barely won a match the Crows had to win to stay in with a chance of a finals berth given their difficult draw in the second half of the year.

"I'm relieved with the result, because the way it's panning out that's a really important win for us, particularly after last week when our performance was substandard," Craig said.

"Our response from last week when we were so bad and to come back having long travel and to play a tough brand of footy, and a lot of our inexperienced players would never have that demand before.

"The way they went about it was very good, so while it was tough and pretty ugly to watch, we take a lot of positives out of it."

Bombers coach Matthew Knights said his men had set the standard for effort and intensity that they must replicate every week.

"It leaves a hollow feeling for myself and our players, they put themselves right on the line from minute one tonight," he said.

"They attacked the game aggressively, both when we had the ball and they had the ball.

"You can be proud of efforts in regards to playing our roles and sticking to them.

"Certainly proud of efforts and the way we went about our footy, tonight was better."

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