East Bengal turned on the style and routed a nine-man Kerala Blasters 4-2 in the ISL-X match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Wednesday.

A brace each by Saul Crespo and Naorem Mahesh Singh ensured that the red and gold brigade kept their playoff hopes alive.

East Bengal now have 21 points from 20 matches, and their upcoming fixtures against Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC will be crucial to break into the top-six.

It was the home side that had gotten the first foot ahead in the contest. Rahul KP delivered a ball to Fedor Cernych who booted it beyond Karanjit Singh to open the scoring.

The visitors, however, ensured that they didn’t go into the break trailing. PV Vishnu earned a foul inside the 18-yard box, but that was preceded with East Bengal winning a one-man advantage due to the sending off of Blasters midfielder Jeakson Singh. Saul slotted the ball comfortably to secure the equaliser.