Newcastle Jets boosted their A-League Men finals push with a thumping 6-1 win over lowly Perth Glory at McDonald Jones Stadium.
At their box-office best, a Daniel Penha brace, a maiden ALM hat-trick from Beka Mikeltadze, and a Valentino Yuel strike lifted the rampant Jets within five points of the top six on Sunday.
It was Newcastle’s second largest win in their history and the biggest since beating Brisbane Roar by the same scoreline in 2019.
With his side’s significant injury woes continuing, interim Glory head coach Ruben Zadkovich was forced once again to field a young, heavily undermanned side in the Hunter, giving an Isuzu UTE A-League debut to Jayden Gorman.
The 19-year-old, though, was lucky to be on the park for more than 13 minutes after he slid with a heavy challenge on Penha that survived a VAR review for a potential red card upgrade.
Penha responded in the best possible way for his side in the 21st minute when he met a cutback from Yuel with a first-time effort into the bottom corner of Glory’s goal.
Fortuitously found when Glory’s attempted clearance came straight back, Mikeltadze danced into the box and netted in the 31st.
The Jets were playing some scintillating football as Dane Ingham promptly set up the Georgian for his second in the 37th minute.
Five minutes into the second half it was four when Penha latched onto the rebound of Angus Thurgate’s saved shot.
Mikeltadze then stepped up to convert a penalty won by Ingham for his 12th goal of the campaign with 12 minutes remaining and Yuel added a cherry on the sundae three minutes later.
Despite Ciaran Bramwell’s 69th-minute consolation, Perth are winless in 12 games and firmly rooted at the bottom of the ALM table.
They will attempt to regroup against Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Jets will host Melbourne Victory next Saturday but will be absent Matt Jurman and Thurgate after the pair earned suspensions for yellow card accumulation.
