The Bombers had led by as much as 30 points early in the second quarter but the Magpies pulled off a remarkable 104-point turnaround.

The thrashing marks the first time Collingwood has won 10 games in a row since 1965.

Collingwood had to work its way into the game after Essendon kicked eight first-quarter goals.

They clawed back and eventually recaptured the lead at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter in the middle of a five-goal burst.

After gaining the lead, the Magpies booted 13 of the next 15 goals to kick their highest score for the year.

There had been signs that the Magpies were on the march but it was the third quarter where they clearly got on top and used their famous press to bottle up every Essendon rebound.

First-year player Alex Fasolo had the best game of his brief career, booting five goals straight, while Dane Swan got better as the game wore on, gathering an amazing 45 disposals after some inaccurate disposal early.

The loss was not entirely unexpected but is still a blow to Essendon's finals hopes as the Dons now sit half a game out of the top eight.

It was always going to be tough going for the Bombers after Prismall went down with what looked to be a serious left knee injury in the opening minutes.

Prismall is no stranger to knee injuries, having ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee while playing for Geelong in the qualifying final of 2008.

Another injury to Travis Colyer (leg) had a severe impact on Essendon's rotations and it seemed inevitable that the Bombers would fatigue.

Patrick Ryder has had an inconsistent season but his performance on gun Collingwood forward Travis Cloke was his best for the year so far. Cloke got away for three goals in the final quarter but Ryder won the battle on the day.

Collingwood4.4 9.6 15.13 25.16 (166)
Essendon 8.3 11.6 13.7 14.8 (92)

GOALS
Collingwood:Fasolo 5, Krakouer 4, Pendlebury 3, Cloke 3, Jolly 2, Beams 2, Sidebottom, Ball, Sinclair, Johnson, Swan, Brown
Essendon:Jetta 3, Reimers 3, Crameri 2, Myers, Zaharakis, Hille, Monfries, Davey, Bellchambers

BEST
Collingwood: Swan, Fasolo, Pendlebury, Krakouer, Davis, Jolly
Essendon:Myers, McVeigh, Watson, Ryder, Jetta, Stanton

INJURIES
Collingwood:Dale Thomas (late withdrawal with a corked thigh), replaced by Ben Sinclair
Essendon:Brent Prismall (knee), Travis Colyer (knee), David Zaharakis (elbow)

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood:Lachlan Keeffe replaced by Ben Sinclair in the third quarter
Essendon:Brent Prismall replaced by Michael Ross in the first quarter

Reports:Nil

Umpires:Donlon, Meredith, Mollison

Official crowd:73,163 at MCG