The Blues, who lost Kade Simpson with concussion and Shaun Hampson to a knee injury throughout the match, led at every change to record a 12.13 (85) to 8.14 (62) victory, snapping a four-game losing streak to improve their record to 7-7.
Hear from coach Nathan Buckley after the match now.
Collingwood's 10-game winning run was broken with the shock loss, and the defeat was the Magpies' first since Carlton beat them by 60 points in round three.
Carlton responded to a week of intense scrutiny on the future of coach Brett Ratten with their most competitive effort in months.
Much of the game seemed to hinge on injuries and at varying stages, both teams looked vulnerable.
Carlton seemed to be in a heap of trouble when Michael Jamison looked to have injured his troublesome shoulder in the opening minute. He stayed on the field and did a good job on Travis Cloke, keeping him to two goals for the night.
The Blues lost Hampson early in the night with a right knee injury after crashing into Dane Swan, while the Magpies had their share of walking wounded.
Marley Williams injured his shoulder before coming from the ground just minutes after Jackson Paine was substituted off.
Magpie Dale Thomas was dominant in the second quarter but appeared to injure his leg early in the second half. He came back on the field but appeared incapacitated and his influence waned.
The injury that is sure to be replayed plenty of times in the coming days was Kade Simpson's concussion from a heavy hit from Sharrod Wellingham.
Wellingham collided with Simpson late in the marking contest without looking at the ball in an action sure to warrant analysis from the Match Review Panel.
Hampson's early check-out looked to be devastating for the Blues, who lacked tall options up forward.
His departure turned out to be a blessing in disguise on several fronts - their forward line became unpredictable and had unlikely marking targets in Eddie Betts, who kicked four goals from set shots, and Nick Duigan, who chipped in with three goals while also keeping free-wheeling defender Nick Maxwell accountable.
The early injury to Hampson also gave an opportunity to substitute Brock McLean into the game, with McLean shutting out a forgettable couple of weeks off the field with a 28-possession game on it.
Matthew Kreuzer relished the responsibility of being the team's lone big man, starring in the ruck and presenting up forward.
Carlton had a narrow lead at half-time but kept the door ajar for Collingwood with several basic errors in front of goal resulting in 1.7 for the term.
The Blues had seven shots at goal in the third quarter without any of them going through the middle until Chris Yarran twisted, turned and kicked an unlikely major.
Yarran's electrifying pace and deadly disposal were key factors in Carlton rediscovering its famous swagger after lacking confidence for much of the past two months.
Andrew Carrazzo continued his good form since returning from a collarbone injury, curtailing the influence of in-form midfielder Dayne Beams while gathering 26 touches himself. It was reminiscent to the shutdown job he did on star Pie Scott Pendlebury in round three.
COLLINGWOOD 1.5 4.9 6.12 8.14 (62)
CARLTON 3.1 7.4 8.11 12.13 (85)
GOALS
Collingwood: Cloke 2, Paine 2, Goldsack, Sidebottom, Thomas, Wellingham
Carlton: Betts 4, Duigan 3, Walker 2, Armfield, Collins, Yarran
BEST
Collingwood: Swan, Sidebottom, Thomas, Fasolo, Wellingham, Blair
Carlton: Judd, Carrazzo, Robinson, McLean, Yarran, Gibbs, Duigan, Betts
INJURIES
Collingwood: Thomas (right ankle), Williams (left shoulder)
Carlton: Hampson (right knee), Simpson (concussion)
SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Jackson Paine replaced by Ben Sinclair in third quarter
Carlton: Shaun Hampson replaced by Brock McLean in the first quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Findlay, McInerney
Official crowd: 75,755 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
