Cambridge United fell victim to a dominant second half display by Morecambe, with goals from Oliver, Tutte and Ellison inflicting a defeat at the Globe Arena.
Colin Calderwood made three changes to his first starting eleven, with Jake Carroll, Liam O’Neil and Ade Azeez beginning as Jevani Brown and Reggie Lambe moved back to the bench. Jabo Ibehre missed out through illness.
Morecambe threatened early on when Jason Oswell powered past a number of U’s defenders to meet an in-swinging corner, but the forward headed over the top of the target on 7 minutes.
Excellent work from Ade Azeez in closing down a Morecambe clearance opened up room for the striker to go through one-on-one. His skewed attempt made its way into the path of Paul Lewis at the back post where the midfielder was denied the opening goal of the game with a superb goal line clearance by Steve Old.
Tidy play from George Maris on 12 minutes who produced excellent control, before turning with the ball and shooting from mid-range had Shrimps keeper Mark Halstead scrambling across his goal but it zipped wide.
The Shrimps twice threatened in a purple patch around the half an hour mark, with David Forde forced into a smart stop to save a free kick by Jordan Cranston, and moments later Vadaine Oliver got across Harry Darling at the near post but flicked his attempt over the bar.
Harrison Dunk pinned his ears back in stoppage time playing a very promising cross into the six yard box which had the Morecambe defence scrambling to clear before Azeez could pounce.
Morecambe returned after the break and enjoyed their best spell of the game, with Greg Taylor producing a magnificent piece of defending, flicking the ball over his own cross bar from virtually on the goal line to avert the danger posed by an excellent cross by Cranston.
A pair of shots from Ellison and Oliver narrowly missed the U’s target, and David Forde was called into action to make a fine stop with his right boot to deny Ellison’s volley at the back post as the hosts increased their threat of an opening goal.
Rather inevitably given the pattern of the game, the Shrimps broke the deadlock on 64 minute, as Jordan Cranston’s deep cross was knocked into the path of Oliver who produced a cool finish to lob David Forde from close range.
The U’s keeper kept United in the game with a brilliant stop to deny a powerful by Kevin Ellison ten minutes later, but the closest the U’s came to a leveller was David Amoo’s looping header back across goal which was caught one-handed by Mark Halstead.
Shrimps sub Andrew Tutte ended the game as a contest, when his pacey run into the U’s area was accompanied with a fierce finish which was lashed across Forde and into the far corner.
And Kevin Ellison rounded off the scoreline and dominant second half for the hosts as he directed Cranston’s cross off the left into the bottom corner with a tidy finish 12 yards out.
Morecambe: Halstead, Kenyon, Old, Oliver, Ellison, Oswell (Leitch-Smith, 81 mins, Yarney, Wildig (Tutte, 82 mins), Lavelle, Oates (Mandeville, 56 mins), Cranston
Bookings: Yarney, Cranston, Tutte
Cambridge United: Forde, Halliday, Taylor, Darling, Carroll, O’Neil, Deegan, Lewis (Osadebe, 65 mins), Dunk (Lambe, 77 mins), Maris, Azeez (Amoo, 65 mins)
Bookings: Darling
Attendance: 1,439 (101)