Ryan Colclough ended Crewe's long wait for home success as he netted in the 1-0 win over Sheffield United.
The Railwaymen last won in front of their own fans back on March 7 and Colclough's second-half strike provided League One's bottom club with their first success in 15 home outings.
While they were forced to defend stoically for large parts of the game, the Cheshire side did offer a threat, in particular through their match-winner.
Crewe goalkeeper Ben Garratt did well to push away a fierce 25-yard drive from Jose Baxter which was heading for the top corner in a first half in which Marcus Haber and Colclough also went close for Crewe.
Mark Howard was an admirable last line of defence for Nigel Adkins' side when he kept out a Colclough effort with his feet after the restart.
But Colclough was not to be denied as the strugglers seized the initiative in the 71st minute. He picked up Chris Basham's clearing header on the edge of the box and drove it low and hard past Howard.
Dean Hammond went close to salvaging a point with a late header which flew inches over the bar, but Steve Davis' men held on.
Crewe Alexandra: Garratt, Turton, Guthrie, Ray, Nugent, Haber, Inman (Kingsley 82), Saunders (Atkinson 85), King, Jones, Colclough (Dalla Valle 90). Unused: Cooper, Bingham, Wilson, Nizic.
Sheffield United: Howard, Harris, Basham, Flynn, Coutts (Scougall 77), Sharp, Baxter, Done (Sammon 77), Collins, Adams, Hammond. Unused: Freeman, Campbell-Ryce, Long, K Wallace, McGahey.
