The Sydney FC juggernaut continued to roll on while Melbourne Victory sent a warning to the rest of the competition with their third consecutive win in Round 13.
Catch up on all the weekend’s action with our Tuesday morning wrap.
VICTORY NOTCH THREE STRAIGHT WINS
Melbourne Victory finally notched their first home success of the season with a crucial 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Beaten 4-1 by Ernie Merrick’s men in November, Victory exacted a measure of revenge as Kosta Barbarouses and Besart Berisha scored either side of Jason Hoffman’s second in as many matches.
Mark Milligan spurned a chance to put the result beyond doubt from the spot, but his failure to convert proved inconsequential as the home side did enough to momentarily climb above rivals Melbourne City.
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10-MAN ROAR HOLD OFF REDS
A 10-man Brisbane Roar withstood waves of Adelaide United pressure to secure a gritty 2-1 win at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.
The Reds were unable to fully capitalise on Matt McKay’s sending off at the end of the first half as George Blackwood’s 69th-minute strike proved a mere consolation.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Massimo Maccarone had earlier scored against the run of play to give the away side a shock two-goal lead.
And they held on despite McKay’s dismissal to record a much-needed third win of the season, leaving Adelaide outside the top four.
SKY BLUES CRUSH GLORY
Bobo hit a second successive hat-trick as Sydney FC took a commanding eight-point lead atop the Hyundai A-League with a 6-0 thrashing of Perth Glory at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Brazilian star Bobo netted his entire treble amid a five-goal second-half as the Sky Blues equalled Brisbane Roar’s record of 23 consecutive home matches without defeat.
Perth were ultimately powerless to prevent the champions from romping to an ominous victory after former Glory man Brandon O’Neill had opened the scoring midway through the first-half.
MARINERS, PHOENIX SHARE THE SPOILS
Central Coast Mariners were made to earn their first point in four matches as an improved Wellington Phoenix secured a 0-0 away draw on New Year’s Eve.
Ben Kennedy and Lewis Italiano both made important interventions to preserve the deadlock, while Matthew Ridenton was left to rue a first-half miss at Central Coast Stadium.
The hosts improved after half-time but were ultimately forced to settle for the end of a three-match losing run.
Wellington, meanwhile, remain four points adrift at the bottom, although they can take heart from a second clean sheet in four outings.
WANDERERS GRIND PAST SLOPPY CITY
Ross McCormack missed a penalty as a spirited Western Sydney Wanderers came from behind to beat Melbourne City 2-1 at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.
All three goals came amid a chaotic seven-minute spell in the first-half, with Oriol Riera and Mark Bridge both scoring in quick succession to overturn an early deficit.
McCormack had given City the lead with his eighth of the campaign, but the Scotland international missed the chance to equalise from the spot as Vedran Janjetovic’s save proved decisive in securing Josep Gombau’s second win in charge.
