Melbourne Victory are now just two points behind league leaders Melbourne City after goals from Holly Furphy and Emily Gielnik saw them defeat Canberra United 2-0 at the Home of the Matildas.
Played out in sweltering conditions in Melbourne, the home side eventually broke the deadlock in the 70th minute as substitute Holly Furphy scored from the tightest of angles to make it 1-0, scoring her third goal in the space of six games.
Now leading, Victory set about searching for their second and it came in the 83rd minute; Matildas striker Emily Gielnik powering home a header at the near post after escaping her marker at a corner.
Goalkeeper Courtney Newbown produced a top save to deny Hayley Taylor-Young in stoppage-time to ensure Victory’s clean sheet remained intact.
The win for Victory moves the to within two points of rivals Melbourne City at the top of the league.
As for Canberra, Antoni Jagarinec’s side miss out on the chance to jump into fourth on the ladder and remain in seventh place.
Clear-cut chances were hard to come by in the first-half with both sides mustering just one shot on target each at the Home of the Matildas.
Looking to spark her side into life in the second-half, forward Rachel Lowe tried a spectacular spin-and-volley from inside the box which flew narrowly over the bar.
Looking to bag a goal against her former side, Canberra forward Maja Markovski took aim from the edge of the box with goalkeeper Newbon forced into a smart save to deny the 23-year-old.
Canberra head coach Jagarinec turned to his bench in the 62nd minute and brought on A-Leagues icon Michelle Heyman in an bid to turn the game in their favour.
Victory thought they’d broken the deadlock in the 68th minute through skipper Kayla Morrison, however the central defender was flagged offside after she strayed beyond the last defender before steering home Lowe’s deflected shot.
The home side eventually made the breakthrough in the 70th minute though and it came from a familiar face off the bench.
Introduced in the 63rd minute in place of Nickoletta Flannery, Furphy battled with and subsequently got the better of Canberra’s Tegan Bertolissio before slotting the ball beyond Sally James at her near post.
With the deadlock now in tatters, Victory soon banked themselves another vital three points in the race for the Premiership.
Escaping her marker at an in-swinging corner, Golden Boot leader Gielnik timed her leap to perfection before guiding a powerful header beyond James and into the back of the net.
Rarely tested at the other end, Newbon had to be on her toes in stoppage-time as she tipped a Taylor-Young effort beyond the post to ensure her side kept their clean sheet intact.
The win for Victory sees them extend their unbeaten run out to eight matches and move to within two points of rivals Melbourne City at the top.
