Melbourne City have one hand on the Ninja A-League Premiership after sealing an emphatic 4-1 win over a Newcastle Jets side reduced to nine players at AAMI Park.
Despite a competitive start from the Jets it took Melbourne City just 20 minutes to break the deadlock at AAMI Park as Holly McNamara slotted home her 13th goal of the season to make it 1-0.
After being booked in just the sixth minute for a heavy challenge on Taylor Otto, Jets forward Sheridan Gallagher then received her marching orders in just the 26th minute after another late challenge on Otto.
Making the most of their numerical advantage, City then doubled their lead in the 33rd minute as McNamara headed home her second of the game before the Jets were then reduced to nine players after Lorena Baumann was given a red card for kicking out at City defender Karly Roestbakken off the ball.
Despite being down to nine players the Jets bagged an equaliser in the 67th minute as Devin Jackson’s header was turned into her own goal by Emilia Murray although that would only prove to be a minor setback.
Less than 90-seconds later City added their third of the night as substitute Rhianna Pollicina slammed home from the edge of the box before Bryleeh Henry then added a fourth in the 71st minute.
Not only does the win extend City’s unbeaten run to 22-games but it means they only need to match Melbourne Victory’s result in the final round of the season after their cross-town rivals defeated Central Coast Mariners on Friday night.
In a repeat of the final day of the 2023-24 Ninja A-League season, City travel to Perth Glory bidding to win the Premiership again while Victory host Brisbane Roar.
As for the Jets, Ryan Campbell’s side remain 11th on the ladder and have now had an alarming eight red cards this season.
The Jets survived a nervy moment inside the first five minutes of the game as goalkeeper Danielle Krzyzaniak failed to claim Alexia Apostolakis’ deflected shot which looped high into the air and was eventually cleared off the line by the Jets defence.
No stranger to a yellow card, Jets forward Sheridan Gallagher picked up her 10th booking of the season in just the sixth minute after a heavy challenge on City defender Taylor Otto.
Despite the Jets starting brightly though it was City who broke the deadlock in the 20th minute as McNamara stole a march in the race for the Golden Boot.
After Leticia McKenna robbed the Jets of possession inside their own half, McNamara then came alive; drifting into space, she received the ball on the edge of the box and brilliantly nutmegged Josie Wilson before slotting the ball beyond the keeper and into the net.
Having gone 1-0 down, the Jets were then reduced to 10 players after Gallagher received her second yellow card in the space of 20 minutes after another clumsy challenge on Otto leaving the referee with little choice but to send her off.
From then on it was all Melbourne City.
Collecting the ball out on the left, McKenna whipped a pinpoint cross into the heart of the area which was met by the head of McNamara, who powered her header past Krzyzaniak to make it 2-0 to the hosts.
Now seeming like a hat-trick was inevitable for the Ninja A-League’s Golden Boot leader, McNamara squandered a great chance to bag her third on the approach to half-time as she skewed her shot wide of the target after Lourdes Bosch had forced the Jets defence into coughing up possession.
Things then got even worse for the away side before the half was out as defender Baumann was shown a straight red card for kicking out during a tussle with City defender Roestbakken.
Looking to really hammer home their advantage, City added a third before half-time through Bosch however the winger’s effort was ruled out due to an offside in the build-up.
Without a Ninja A-League goal in over five years, Leah Davidson came close to breaking that drought early in the second-half but her glancing effort flew narrowly wide of the far post.
Incredibly though the Jets pulled one back in the 67th minute.
Crowding out goalkeeper Malena Mieres at a corner, midfielder Jackson headed the ball towards goal and, after a big deflection, saw her effort nestle into the bottom corner to make it 2-1 albeit it was later credited as an Emilia Murray own goal.
However the one-goal deficit lasted just 90 seconds.
Brought on as a sub in the 62nd minute, Pollicina recieved the pass from captain Rebekah Stott on the edge of the Jets box and, after shifting the ball out of her feet, drilled a low shot into the near corner to seal all three points.
With the floodgates now open Henry got in on the act as she combined well with Pollicina inside the box before lashing the ball beyond Krzyzaniak at her near post to make it 4-1 in the 71st minute.
With the game done and dusted history was then made shortly as head coach Michael Matricciani subbed on veteran goalkeeper Barbieri to become the oldest ever player to play in an A-Leagues fixture as she racked up appearance number 109.
