The Bombers entered the match under pressure after going winless in the opening two rounds but despite the Blues' favouritism, Essendon was too good.
Matthew Knights' team won 13.17 (95) to 10.15 (75).
The victory ensured Blues coach Brett Ratten would continue to wait to chalk up his first win as a coach over the Bombers.
For Essendon, Mark Williams booted four goals - including his first in red and black - in a welcome return to form, while Kyle Reimers kicked three.
Defenders Tayte Pears and Dustin Fletcher were superb, while 100-gamer Nathan Murray and dashing backman Courtenay Dempsey were also terrific.
Another huge plus for the Bombers was the emergence of debutants Jake Melksham (18 possessions, 14 contested) and Travis Colyer (19 possessions).
The pair each had five inside-50s and look as though they will add a new dimension to the Essendon midfield.
“Young players like Jake and Travis … are going to have times in the season where they’re going to have good periods. First-year players have times where they dip a little bit,” Knights said after the match.
“I guess what we got tonight from both Jake and Travis was some real upside and they give us some real ping in the midfield.
“[They] not only worked hard when we had the ball but they did their very best when Carlton had it to chase and tackle. We’ve just got to keep working with them on that and to keep improving.”
Watch Matthew Knights' post-match press conference »
For Carlton, however, it was a forgettable night.
Andrew Carrazzo led the Blues' possession-winners with 26, Kade Simpson had 24 and booted two goals and Marc Murphy had 23, but the latter and Bryce Gibbs (20) didn't have their usual influence.
Eddie Betts, in his 100th match, booted two and Ratten suggested the goalsneak might have been one man to have won his position on the night.
“To turn up and really deliver what we delivered it was actually quite embarrassing,” the Blues coach said.
‘Their workrate away from the contest, to create an extra man at the contest and just all over … loose-ball gets and just their ability to run harder than us [was far better].
“I don’t think we won a battle on the day.”
Watch Brett Ratten's post-match press conference »
Essendon was only able to shrug the Blues in the final term, with the match not sealed until the final minutes.
It was close throughout although the Bombers probably had a chance to put Carlton away earlier in the night.
They dominated the inside-50 count in the second term but simply weren't able to convert their opportunities, managing 3.8 to the Blues' 2.1 during that period.
The Bombers held a 10-point break at the main change but should have been four goals up.
Ratten's team, to its credit, hung tough and managed to stay in touch before it blew some chances of its own in the third term.
But the Blues were only playing in spurts, and with key forwards Setanta O’hAilpin, Lachie Henderson and Jarrad Waite all being blanketed by the Bombers’ defence, Carlton was searching for scoring options.
Fletcher outdid himself with a desperate lunge to foil what looked a certain Betts goal close to three-quarter time, and his heroics ensured Essendon led by 12 points at the final change.
When Williams found his range early in the last, the Bombers kicked clear to a 28-point lead.
The Blues booted a couple late to get within striking distance but, without the run and firepower of previous weeks, couldn’t drag in the more desperate and more deserving Bombers.
Carlton 4.5 6.6 7.12 10.15 (75)
Essendon 4.2 7.10 9.12 13.17 (95)
GOALS
Carlton: Betts 2, O'hAilpin 2, Simpson 2, Houlihan, Robinson, Waite, Yarran
Essendon: Williams 4, Reimers 3, Gumbleton, Hocking, Lonergan, Lovett-Murray, Ryder, Zaharakis
BEST
Carlton: Simpson, Scotland, Betts, Jamison
Essendon: Fletcher, Pears, Lovett-Murray, Dyson, Watson, Dempsey, Williams
INJURIES
Carlton: -
Essendon: -
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Stewart, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 71,006 at the MCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
