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A snapshot of Essendon's AFL victory over Collingwood in the 2021 Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG, with Bombers midfielder Darcy Parish best-on-ground.

SNAPSHOT OF THE 2021 AFL ANZAC DAY GAME:

RESULT: Essendon 16.13 (109) bt Collingwood 13.7 (85) in front of 78,113 fans at the MCG.

KEY MOMENT: Pushed up against the boundary at the city end of the ground, Essendon tall forward Peter Wright slotted the most unlikely of goals to put the Bombers 16 points ahead and all but break Collingwood's spirit 12 minutes into the last quarter.

THE STAR: It was Darcy Parish's true emergence as an AFL star. The classy Bombers midfielder produced one of the all-time great Anzac Day performances by collecting 42 possessions and slotting two goals to claim the best-on-ground medal. An honourable mention goes to teammate Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, who was spellbinding with five goals.

KEY QUOTE: "We showed a bit of maturity in that last quarter when we needed to. We haven't played at the 'G for a while so to have that crowd turn out was awesome." - Essendon's Ben Rutten after he won in his first outing as a coach on Anzac Day.

INJURIES: Essendon defender Aaron Francis was subbed out of the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and replaced by veteran David Zaharakis.

WHAT'S NEXT: Under-fire Collingwood are back at the MCG on Saturday to host a resurgent Gold Coast, who are coming off a thumping victory over Sydney. Essendon have a full seven-day break before battling old foes Carlton at the same venue.