Collingwood have moved to the top of the ladder after seeing off Adelaide 11.12 (78) to 10.8 (68) in a slugfest at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

In difficult conditions, scores were level midway through the third quarter before the Pies put the foot down with four consecutive goals.

But two of those goals came from controversial free kicks that left Crows fans fuming.

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Late in the third term, Wayne Milera was pinged for a throw despite replays showing he clearly handballed it.

The resulting free kick landed in the lap of Jamie Elliott, who marked and goaled on the three-quarter time siren to give the Pies a 16-point lead.

“Very unusual free kick,” Garry Lyon said in commentary.

The lead pushed out to 22 points five minutes into the last quarter when Will Hoskin-Elliott won a free kick for holding the ball in the goalsquare.

Adelaide defender Josh Worrell gathered the ball and was immediately set on by Hoskin-Elliott. There was a hint of high contact and the ball spilled out, but the umpire paid the free kick to give the Pies a certain goal.

The Crows dominated the final term, but were lift to rue a number of missed opportunities.

They closed to within 10 points with five minutes remaining but the experienced Pies held firm to extend their winning streak over Adelaide to 10.

Jeremy Howe marshalled the backline without injured skipper Darcy Moore, and fellow Magpie veteran Scott Pendlebury blunted Jordan Dawson after quarter-time.

Josh Daicos (29 disposals) and Howe (17) combined for 24 intercept possessions, and while Nick Daicos wasn’t at his brilliant best he still finished with 28 touches and a game-high seven clearances.

Izak Rankine tried to lift Adelaide with 26 disposals and one goal, but put two crucial set shots out on the full just minutes before Collingwood took control late in the third quarter.

Rory Laird (27 disposals) and Jake Soligo (23 touches, five clearances, two goals) also fought hard for the Crows, and Darcy Fogarty kicked a game-high four goals.

Former Port Adelaide star Dan Houston struck the first blow for Collingwood with a 50-metre bomb and the teams went goal-for-goal until Bobby Hill pounced on a defensive error to volley through his first major from close range.

It gave the Magpies a seven-point buffer at quarter-time despite an 11-disposal term from Dawson, who set up a Taylor Walker goal with a brilliant left-foot pass.

Fogarty kicked three in the second quarter alone, but it was Collingwood who kept their noses in front by five points at the main break as rain fell.

Adelaide’s Dan Curtin and Rankine both wasted rare set shots in a tight third quarter, the latter putting two out on the full, before Soligo snatched the lead when he snapped truly at a boundary throw-in close to goal.

But Rankine’s horror term continued when he was chased down and caught holding the ball by Beau McCreery.

McCreery converted to put the Pies back in front, and a 50-metre penalty against Fogarty allowed Darcy Cameron to extend the home side’s advantage.

The Elliott and Hoskin-Elliott goals either side of three-quarter time then helped seal the deal.

The 67,697-strong crowd marked the biggest home-and-away attendance in history between these two clubs and second-highest overall, behind only their 2002 preliminary final.

- With AAP