Stanley scored three second-half goals to claim a 3-1 win over Morecambe in an eventful Lancashire derby.

Morecambe striker Arthur Gnahoua was sent off for a straight red card after an aerial collision with Mitch Clark in first-half injury time.

The sending off spurred on Stanley who took the lead just before the hour when Liam Coyle latched on to Clark’s pass to slot the ball past Connor Ripley.

The Shrimps levelled on 77 minutes with a freak own goal from Ryan Astley who turned a long Ripley clearance past his own goalkeeper.

The home side bounced back and took the lead again nine minutes from time when Ethan Hamilton struck a free-kick past Ripley.

Tommy Leigh completed the scoring five minutes from time with a far-post finish from Jack Nolan’s cross.

“I don’t think he can have too many complaints. If he goes for the man and not the ball you are always opening yourself to a red card,” said Stanley chief John Coleman.

“I don’t think the sending off changed the game too much though as they were always looking to sit back and hit us on the break.

“But it did give us the extra man to get down the sides and we took advantage of that and I thought the lads showed great spirit.”

However, Morecambe boss Derek Adams felt the red card was “really harsh” and also had complaints about the Reds’ second goal.

He added: “The sending off turned the game and was really harsh. The linesman said it was an excessive challenge but it certainly wasn’t.

“The reaction of the Accrington players didn’t help and I think they had a big part in the decision to send Arthur off.

“Even when we were a man down I thought we were always in the game and at 1-1 I thought we could have got the win, but then they got a soft free-kick which they scored their second goal from and that turned things again.”