Crewe climbed back into the League Two play-off spots following their goalless draw at mid-table Oldham.
But the Railwaymen must be wondering how they failed to leave Boundary Park with all three points after a dominant display as they sought a third straight league victory.
Stoke loanee Emre Tezgel and Owen Lunt both struck the frame of the goal while Tezgel had clearly left his shooting boots at home as the eight-goal top scorer missed a host of chances.
Crewe would have been on the fringe of the automatic promotion places had they recorded a fourth win on their league travels.
Oldham's best chance came early in the second half when Crewe goalkeeper Tom Booth made a brilliant reflex save to keep out a header from veteran striker Joe Garner.
But the home form of Micky Mellon's side remains a worry as they have won only one of eight league games, one of the worst records in the division, a bitter disappointment for the season's best crowd of 8,937.
Report supplied by PA Media.
Mellon: 'We've got to turn these draws into wins'
Bell: "Lots of positives"
