The A-Leagues action rolled into Saturday with three rivalry matches highlighting the five-game agenda.
A Sydney Derby double-header was dominated by the Sky Blues on enemy territory; in the Liberty A-League Women, Sydney FC won 2-0 against the Wanderers before the club’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men side demolished their derby foes 4-1.
In the men’s F3 Derby, a Josh Nisbet strike earned Central Coast Mariners an away win over Newcastle Jets, after Perth Glory fell to Western United by the same scoreline thanks to Noah Botic’s second-half goal.
The 6pm AEDT Liberty A-League kick-off featured second-placed Melbourne City on their travels to face Brisbane Roar – and a Tameka Yallop masterclass inspired the Queenslanders to a stunning 2-0 win at Perry Park.
Re-live all the highlights and biggest talking points from the five-game agenda in today’s matchday hub.
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
Western United 1-0 Perth Glory
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Perth Glory’s six-game unbeaten run has come to an end after a 1-0 defeat to Western United at Mars Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Olyroos striker Noah Botic scored the all-important goal for Western in the second half but spurned a major chance to make it 2-0 and put the game to bed late in the contest.
Western conceded three stoppage time goals in two games last week to drop five points from winning positions and almost repeated the feat in Ballarat as Glory striker Daniel Bennie received a late, late chance to steal a point for the visitors, poking a shot from inside the six-yard box over the crossbar.
The 1-0 win to bottom-placed Western stopped Glory’s charge toward the top six after three wins and three draws in their last six games.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Olyroos striker ends Glory’s six-game unbeaten run despite late scare for Western
Newcastle Jets 1-0 Central Coast Mariners
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Can anyone stop Central Coast Mariners? The Isuzu UTE A-League champions earned F3 Derby bragging rights and top spot, albeit provisionally, thanks to Saturday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle Jets.
Josh Nisbet was the hero the red-hot Mariners, with his first goal of the season leading Central Coast to a record fourth consecutive victory against the Jets.
Nisbet’s bullet strike 15 minutes from the end settled the contest and ensured the Mariners won this season’s F3 Derby trophy, having won two of this season’s three Derby fixtures.
BULLS CAN’T BE TAMED: Son of a gun scores twice as Macarthur pile more misery on City
The Mariners – who are in the AFC Cup Inter Zonal Final – have won five consecutive games across all competitions to join Wellington Phoenix atop the table, though the latter are scheduled to host Adelaide United on Sunday.
Newcastle are second from bottom and nine points outside of the top six through 19 rounds.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Mariners make F3 Derby history and THAT iconic trophy makes its way back to Gosford
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-4 Sydney FC
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Sydney Derby bragging rights belong to Sydney FC after a comprehensive 4-1 win over Western Sydney at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.
The Sky Blues struck twice through Rhyan Grant and Fabio Gomes within the opening seven minutes to set up the statement result.
Robert Mak made it 3-0 soon after half-time before a calamitous mixup between Tom Beadling and Wanderers keeper Daniel Margush invited Fabio in to bag his second and put Sydney out of sight.
The Wanderers pegged one back through Zac Sapsford in the 72nd minute – yet the former Sky Blue’s strike may go down as an own goal to Jake Girdwood-Reich.
Despite the goal giving the hosts a glimmer of hope, it wasn’t enough to spark the unlikeliest of comebacks as Sydney FC took all three points away from Wanderland.
The result helped Ufuk Talay’s side climb above Western Sydney into fifth spot on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, continuing a seven-game unbeaten run for one of the in-form teams of the competition.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Derby demolition! Ruthless Sky Blues pick Wanderers apart on enemy territory
LIBERTY A-LEAGUE
Western Sydney Wanderers 0-2 Sydney FC
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Sydney FC maintained their dominance over Western Sydney Wanderers after the Liberty A-League champions emerged 2-0 winners in the Sydney Derby.
Bragging rights went the way of Sydney, who went into enemy territory and claimed three points at CommBank Stadium, where super-sub Caley Tallon-Henniker turned the match on its head on debut.
The 18-year-old earned the penalty for Mackenzie Hawkesby to convert in the 67th-minute before sealing the result with a stoppage-time strike to cap a memorable A-Leagues bow.
The Sky Blues are now undefeated in their last nine games against the Wanderers (W8 D1), keeping a clean sheet in all nine of those games. It is a streak that dates back to December 2019, when they lost 5-0 to Western Sydney.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Sydney FC’s Derby delight extends a run that spans five years against Wanderers
Brisbane Roar 2-0 Melbourne City
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Matildas midfielder Tameka Yallop marked her return from international duty with a goal and a starring role in Brisbane Roar’s 2-0 win over Melbourne City at Perry Park on Saturday night.
Brisbane kept City scoreless thanks to some outstanding glovework of goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz before Yallop and Sharn Frier scored one goal each in a blistering three-minute spell to craft an unassailable lead and stun second-placed City in a statement victory.
City have now won just one of their last seven games as Dario Vidosic’s side wobble in pursuit of the Premiers Plate. League-leaders Western United now sit four points clear at the top with Sydney FC just one point behind with a game in hand.
Three points meanwhile have brought Brisbane to within a win of Newcastle Jets in sixth as a logjam forms for spots in the finals series.
FULL MATCH REPORT: Magic Matilda! International star inspires Roar to big win over title contenders
