Bradford City striker Eddie Johnson bundled home his first goal since September to all but extinguish Morecambe's fading play-off hopes.
Johnson, who has been used mostly in midfield this season, was given a run out up front in the absence of injured leading scorer Peter Thorne and he made his mark with the winner just after the break.
Morecambe's first ever league game at Bradford was also marred by an injury to highly-rated winger Garry Thompson who was taken off with a suspected broken cheekbone after only 36 minutes.
Stuart McCall's side deservedly took the lead after dominating the early play and the only surprise was that it took them so long to break the deadlock.
Johnson's strike partner, Barry Conlon, who led the line impressively, wasted a good chance when he blazed high and wide after just seven minutes and Morecambe keeper Scott Davies had to react quickly to push away Joe Colbeck's free-kick.
Conlon's clever header then set up Johnson after 15 minutes but his shot from an acute angle went wide of the mark.
Davies did well to push away Kyle Nix's shot after more good work by Conlon, but even the Morecambe keeper must have been scratching his head after City's Omar Daley missed from three yards out.
Conlon climbed highest to head Nix's corner against the bar in the 32nd minute, but when the rebound fell to Jamaican Daley he scooped the ball over the bar.
Morecambe rarely tested the City back line, but after 50 minutes skipper David Artell headed wide when he was unmarked at a corner.
Four minutes later Daley and Colbeck combined down the left to open up the Morecambe defence, and when Conlon's half-blocked shot fell into the path of Johnson, he gleefully forced home his third goal of the season from four yards.
City, who lost at Morecambe in October thanks to a last-minute goal, should have killed off the contest, but substitute Alex Rhodes and Colbeck both wasted chances set up by Conlon.
Morecambe had a penalty appeal waved away late on after striker Matthew Blinkhorn went down under David Wetherall's challenge and, in stoppage time, midfielder Craig Stanley saw his curling shot fly just wide of the City goal.