Ali Carter says he was just a slice of luck away from ending his wretched Dafabet Masters form after defeat to Shaun Murphy.

The Colchester ace has now won just two of his last 11 first-round matches at snooker’s second biggest tournament and he has never made it beyond the quarter-finals.

His latest attempt was almost over in double-quick time with Murphy blasting into a 4-0 lead by the mid-session interval but the 38-year-old showed plenty of resolve to fight back.

Carter closed to within a frame but Murphy eventually got over the line to secure a 6-4 win and book a quarter-final clash with Judd Trump.

However, despite leaving the Alexandra Palace early again, Carter insists he played well and even caused Murphy to change his approach.

“Shaun, normally, is very one-dimensional but he completely changed his game for today’s match and he knows I have the got upper-hand on his match game,” he said.

“He did not really go for any silly pots and the ones he did go for he got. I left myself with too much to do at 4-0 down but it is fine margins.

“I am looking at the scoreboard and thinking I won the first frame then I would 5-4 up, not 5-4 down if I had taken my chances but all things considered I am glad I made a match of it and I enjoyed it.

“I did not get any luck when I needed it and I missed one or two at key times but I thought I played really well – all credit to him in the end.”

Carter was almost out of it by the mid-session interval but he should have won the opening frame and lost it by only two points.

Breaks of 119 and 87 showed 2005 World Champion Murphy was in good touch and left the crowd expecting another early finish after Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 6-0 thrashing of Marco Fu on Tuesday.

But Carter, twice a World Championship runner-up, showed guts and responded by winning four of the next five frames, with breaks of 99, 117, 50 and 93.

Murphy admitted he was intense pressure but he got over the line in the next with a solid 76.

“I thought If I could get to 5-4 then it is anyone’s match. I was just nicking a frame each time but Shaun closed the match out well,” he added.

Watch the London Masters LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with Colin Murray and analysis from Neil Robertson, Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.