The Blues scored their fourth win in their past eight games against Essendon, at a time when they have been enduring one of the bleakest periods in their history while the Bombers have been making the finals every year.
But on a rain-sodden MCG on Saturday, the Blues - who also ended Essendon's premiership dreams in 1999 with that memorable one-point preliminary final win - again reminded footy fans that they save their best form for the Bombers.
Carlton’s 10.14 (74) to 8.9 (57) victory was their eighth of the season - meaning they have now won more games this season than in the past two years combined despite being unable to access early draft choices due to salary cap breaches.
It is a huge feather in the cap of their coach Denis Pagan, with the rate of improvement the Blues have shown this season a credit to the dual Kangaroos' premiership coach.
And as far as victories go this season, not many would have been sweeter for the Blues than this one against their arch-rivals.
The surprise loss means the Bombers have now lost six of their past eight matches and with just 10 wins from 19 games overall and a poor percentage - and with a trip to Sydney still to come - they are now in serious danger of missing the finals for the first time since 1997.
And the shoulder injury to Lloyd could not have come at a worse time and casts doubt on his availability in the all-important lead-in to the finals.
Lloyd landed heavily after a marking contest with David Teague in the third term and watched the final term from the bench with his shoulder in an ice-pack.
But even up until the time he was injured, the AFL's leading goalkicker had endured a rare bad day and was held goalless by Luke Livingston.
With Lloyd struggling, the Bombers simply couldn't get goals in a rain-drenched first half in which the Blues easily adapted better to the difficult conditions as not for the first time in recent years the Bombers were exposed as a team that does not like playing in the wet.
The Blues' tackling and commitment was exceptional and with Scott Camporeale - two first half goals, including a great shot on the run from the boundary - leading by example, the Blues fully deserved their two goal lead at half-time.
However with the ground drying out in the second half, the Bombers improved noticeably in the third term but not before the Blues had kicked the first two goals of the term through Jarrad Waite - a constant danger in attack all day - and Matthew Lappin, who was probably only just shaded by Camporeale for best afield honors.
And when Nick Stevens' terrible kick across goal late in the third term led to a goal to former Blue Justin Murphy, the Bombers were just eight points down and looked likely to run over the Blues - particularly with Dustin Fletcher and James Hird impassable in defence.
However when the game had to be won in the final term, incredibly it was Carlton side with seemingly little to play for that lifted instead of the team whose finals hopes were on the line.
After Lance Whitnall and Adam McPhee had traded early goals in the final term, it was Carlton skipper Anthony Koutoufides - the hero of the Blues' 1999 preliminary final win over Essendon - who again came back to haunt the Bombers.
Koutoufides grabbed the ball out of a boundary throw-in, a risky tactic at any time in the AFL these days but even more so in the wet, but promptly brushed aside a tackle and goaled with a magnificent left foot snap from 40 metres.
Stevens then made up for his earlier blunder with a ball-bursting torpedo goal from 55 metres to seal the game as the Blues celebrated yet another unexpected win against the Bombers.
Carlton Denis Pagan said that while the conditions suited his team better, it was the Blues’ attack and commitment at the ball that won through.
“After watching them last week I knew we had out work cut out for us we also knew that if it rained it would help our chances,” he said. “Having said that our leaders really stood up, our young kids really had a go and everyone of them was really hard at the footy and as a coach that all you can ask of them.”
Pagan said it was hard to assess where the win sat in terms of the other seven victories all season.
“I’m not in a position straight after the game to say whether it was our best win of the season,” he said. “But it certainly was a great win and we were really pleased with it. It was great team contribution.”
Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy blamed his side's lack of hardness for the loss.
"We have to make sure we earn our position (in the finals)," a disappointed Sheedy said.
"It was very disappointing today, we let ourselves down because we weren't hard enough really."
"We over-handballed as well and we have done that before so we got to make sure we knock that off."
Essendon: 2.3 3.6 6.8 8.9 (57)
Carlton: 2.4 5.6 7.10 10.14 (74)
Goals: Essendon: McPhee 2, M.Johnson, Cupido, Hille, Murphy, Stanton, Haynes
Carlton: Lappin 2, Camporeale 2, Waite 2, Harford, Whitnall, Stevens, Koutoufides.
Best: Essendon: Fletcher, Peverill, Hird, Lucas, McPhee, J Johnson, Solomon.
Carlton: Lappin, Camporeale, Livingston, Stevens, Waite, Koutoufides, Harford.
Injuries: Essendon: Lloyd (bruised shoulder), Welsh (bruised knee)
Carlton: Deluca (pectoral), Fevola (hip)
Umpires: Davis, McLaren, M Nicholls
Crowd: 45,083 at MCG
