There was only one change to the side that was victorious at Shrewsbury, with Ben House coming in for Tyler Walker who dropped to the bench.
Blackpool started the stronger of the two sides, with CJ Hamilton proving to be a threat down the right wing. His deep cross found Callum Connolly who was in acres of space, but his right-footed strike from inside the box was well over Lukas Jensen’s crossbar.
On seven minutes, the Imps took the lead via the penalty spot. Ben House was brought down by Marvin Ekpiteta’s sliding challenge, before Danny Mandroiu smashed the ball down the middle to give City the lead.
Afterwards, the game settled into a rhythm that Imps fans have become used to. Blackpool had plenty of possession but the defensive setup from Mark Kennedy’s side ensured that chances for the visitors came at a premium.
Despite this, Blackpool did go close to equalizing in the 34th minute. Jensen was called into action to block a close-range shot, before Ethan Hamilton volleyed over the rebound, with Jensen out of his goal.
A two-goal cushion was established five minutes before the interval, with Ethan Erhahon scoring his first goal for the Imps. A lovely flick in midfield from Mandroiu allowed Erhahon to gallop forward from inside his own half before unleashing a strike from the edge of the box which deflected into the top corner.
A triple change at half time demonstrated Neil Crtichley’s intent for the second half. Yet it continued in a similar fashion to the first half, with the visitors seeing plenty of the ball. Ethan Hamilton saw an effort sail over, and substitute Sonny Carey had an effort held by Imps goalkeeper Jensen.
The contest kicked back into life in the 70th minute when Blackpool captain Ollie Norburn picked up two yellow cards in two minutes. His first came after a strong tackle on Ben House in front of the dugouts. Moments later, House found himself through on goal, and after his initial shot had been saved by goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw, Norburn tripped the City striker, stopping what would have been almost a certain goal. Referee Martin Coy had no option but to send the Blackpool number 6 off.
Substitute Teddy Bishop stepped up to take the penalty and smashed it straight down the middle, in a similar style to Mandroiu’s penalty in the first half.
From that moment, the game as a contest was over, with City looking comfortable in possession, teasing the Blackpool midfield with the ball. Bishop had another effort saved by Grimshaw, before Tyler Walker had a volleyed effort fly wide in stoppage time.
It was an excellent afternoon for the Imps, who move up to 4th in the SkyBet League One table. Next up for Mark Kennedy’s side is an exciting EFL Cup tie away at Sheffield United on Wednesday night, before travelling to Bristol Rovers next Saturday.