Perth has kept its finals hopes alive with a brilliant 4-1 win against a wasteful Sydney FC at the SFS.
Glory’s often-maligned defensive unit again showed signs of improvement as it absorbed plenty of Sydney pressure in the early stages.
Further up the pitch, signs were also good with an Adriano Pellegrino goal in the 11th minute, an own goal on 34 minutes, a Wayne Srhoj thunderbolt minutes after the resumption and a second own goal late in the game proving more than enough to please the travelling Glory army.
Glory’s sharpness in front of goal was in contrast to the home side with a clutch of chances missed by the Sky Blue forwards, including marquee player John Aloisi.
Aloisi, who has not scored in open play since October 25 and has just two goals to his name for the season, missed two goal-scoring opportunities in the first half to continue his tough stint with the sky blues.
The out-of-sorts striker – a hero of Australia’s 2006 World Cup campaign – missed a near open goal in the 26th minute.
He was the first to reach Shannon Cole’s free kick but failed to connect meaningfully from two metres out with the goal beckoning.
Sydney’s misses proved costly as Perth made the most of its openings to craft out a victory that leaves it in with a shot of reaching the top four.
Stuart Musialik pulled a goal back for Sydney on the hour, lashing home a tremendous left-foot volley, but it was to be one of the rare highlights in a disappointing performance by the home side.
The loss leaves FC in sixth spot and with time running out if it’s to maintain its record of reaching the finals, having done so in each of the first three Hyundai A-League seasons.
Perth’s first two goals were the result of dubious defending on the hosts’ part.
Naum Sekulovski’s long throw evaded Sydney defender Iain Fyfe, allowing Nikita Rukavytsya to slip past in acres of space and work the ball into the box for Pellegrino.
Pellegrino didn-t hit his shot cleanly but still put enough on it for the ball to squeeze past Clint Bolton’s far post and stun the small crowd into silence.
The visitors doubled their lead 11 minutes before the interval, Sydney defender Anthony Golec conceding an own goal after failing to deal with Nikolai Topor-Stanley’s header from a corner conceded from a Bolton mistake.
Cole could have found himself on the scoresheet and changed the complex of the game after just four minutes.
Robbie Middleby’s cross found Cole unmarked in the box but the midfielder’s left foot volley flew harmlessly wide off the mark.
The lively Middleby was proving a constant threat down the right and his back post cross in the 21st minute, nodded towards the penalty spot by Aloisi, was wastefully headed over the bar by Brendan Gan.
It was then Glory’s turn to spurn a gilt-edged chance, Eugene Dadi heading Nick Rizzo’s clever cross wide from a dangerous position.
Dadi should have been on the scoresheet on the stroke of half-time but pushed his shot straight at Bolton after going one-on-one with the keeper.
But Dadi’s blushes were spared just three minutes into the second half, Srhoj latching onto a pass on the edge of the box and rifling an unstoppable shot past Bolton.
Musialik’s 60th minute thunderbolt gave Sydney a glimmer of hope but another own goal – Middleby heading past Bolton in the 69th minute – ended any hope of a miracle recovery.
Sydney FC: Bolton (gk), Fyfe, Middleby, Musialik, Corica, Cole, Brosque, Aloisi, Busch, Golec, Gan
Res: Bridge, Necevski (gk), Petta, Grant,
Perth: Topor-Stanley, Harnwell, Rizzo, Rukavytsya, Dadi, Pellegrino, Downey, Sekulovski, Srhoj, Anthony, Velaphi (gk)
Res: Petkovic (gk), Tarka, Trinidad, Jukic
