Ten-man Shrewsbury were beaten 3-0 at home by Exeter in a match that saw Jordan Shipley sent off in just the sixth minute.
Shipley was given a straight red card by referee David Rock for a challenge on Ryan Woods.
With more than 84 minutes to play, it was always going to be an uphill task from there.
And first-half goals from Will Aimson, Luke Harris and Jack Aitchison ensured it was Exeter who came away with the points.
Team news:
Boss Paul Hurst opted to make one change from the team that secured an important win at Port Vale.
It saw Taylor Perry return to the starting XI with Brighton loanee Jack Hinchy the man to make way.
It meant Town remained in a 4-2-3-1 system with Tom Bloxham on the right flank and Shipley on the left.
Tom Bayliss continued in the number 10 role with Dan Udoh the lone striker.
Exeter lined up in a 3-4-3 system with Town favourite Ryan Woods in central midfield.
In attack, striker Sonny Cox was supported by Aitchison and Harris.
Report:
Town's hopes of getting a result were dealt a huge blow in just the sixth minute when Shipley was given a straight red card for a challenge on Ryan Woods.
His dismissal saw Town shift to a 4-2-3 system with Bayliss drifting out to the left side.
And it was Town's make-shift winger who had the first chance of the game with Bayliss darting into the box before firing over.
Despite being a man down, Town had restricted Exeter to next to nothing as the clock ticked past the half-hour mark.
But after Marko Marosi made a smart block to deny Reece Cole, the visitors then broke the deadlock when Aimson flicked the ball in from a corner.
Exeter then doubled their lead just before the break when Luke Harris fired in after initially seeing a shot well saved by Marosi.
Then in time added on at the end of the first half, a miserable evening went from bad to worse when Jack Aitchison fired in from the edge of the box.
Hurst opted to make four changes during the interval with Hinchy, Roland Idowu, Rayhaan Tulloch and Aiden O'Brien all entering the fray.
Town were a whisker away from pulling a goal back in the 50th minute when Mal Benning produced an outrageous strike from a free-kick 25 yards from goal.
A large section of the home crowd got off their feet to celebrate only to then see the ball sail millimetres wide.
Town had another chance with a little over 10 minutes to go when Idowu won the ball high before finding O'Brien in the box. He then saw a powerful strike brilliantly saved by Viljami Sinisalo.
The damage, though, had been done in the first half with Exeter ticking away the clock from that point to claim all three points.
Teams:
Shrewsbury: Marosi, Feeney, Dunkley, Sraha (Flanagan 73), Benning, Winchester (Hinchy 46), Perry, Bloxham (Tulloch 46), Bayliss (Idowu 46), Shipley, Udoh (O'Brien 46).
Subs not used: Burgoyne, Bennett.
Exeter: Sinisalo, Jules, Aimson, Woods, Cole (Carroll 61), Niskanen (Purrington 72), Cox (Eisa 61), Harris, Sweeney, Aitchison (Alli 78), Harper (Rankine 46).
Subs not used: MacDonald, Diabate.
Referee: David Rock
Attendance: 4960 (249 away).
