Keogh scores four as Perth slice Wanderers apart in 5-1 win

Perth Glory striker Andy Keogh had a night to remember in a 5-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at HBF Park on Sunday night, scoring four times to help his side take a step closer toward stealing an unlikely place in the Finals Series.

Keogh came into the contest without a goal to his name in the 2020/21 A-League season but put an end to his barren run in truly remarkable circumstances, scoring twice on either side of half time to seal Perth’s impressive win against a side with a similar desperation to sneak into the top six by the season’s end.

Glory took the lead in the fifth minute as Keogh headed a precise cross from Kosuke Ota off the left flank home to start the party in Perth.

The Glory forward found the back of the net for the second time in the first half with a Goal of the Season contender, lashing a volley from just beyond the centre circle to catch Daniel Margush off his line, looping the Wanderers ‘keeper and finding the back of the net to get the home crowd rocking.

Keogh’s jaw-dropping second sent him on the way to wrapping up his hat-trick from the penalty spot – but not before Bruce Kamau made things interesting in the 49th minute with a wonder-goal of his own, thumping a long-range strike off the post and in to make it 2-1 early in the second half.

Keogh restored Perth’s buffer to two with a neatly-placed penalty after Patrick Ziegler was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box – and after nabbing his third on 66 minutes he got in on the action once more by tapping home a heavily deflected Chris Ikonomidis cross to make it 4-1 at HBF Park with less than 20 minutes to play.

Glory head coach Richard Garcia brought Joel Chianese off his bench and the substitute left his mark with a sliding finish past Margush deep into stoppage time to ensure Perth’s lead extended to four goals at the full-time whistle, as the home side clinched a 5-1 win at HBF Park.

The result sent Glory into ninth on the A-League table, just three points behind Brisbane Roar in sixth to ensure the West Australian side remain well and truly in the hunt for a place in the top six.

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Key Moments

Keogh’s magnificent first half began in fine fashion when the Glory forward opened the scoring with his first goal of the 2020/21 season with five minutes on the clock.

Keogh got in between Ziegler and Mark Natta to meet a cross off the left flank placed perfectly in between the two Wanderers defenders by Ota for Keogh to finish.

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Thomas Aqulina went close to setting up Mitchell Duke down the other end with a ball played just out of the Wanderers striker’s reach at the back post before Callum Timmins found Keogh to head another attempt just wide of the mark down the other end, as the striker showed his eagerness to bag a first-half brace.

In the 24th minute, Keogh did manage to score for the second time on the night – and what a strike it was to put the home side two goals ahead at HBF Park.

The truly outrageous attempt from distance came after Bruno Fornaroli fed a bouncing ball toward Keogh in midfield, who connected on the volley to send his shot hurtling toward goal, over Margush who flailed desperately in an attempt to keep out the audacious attempt – but instead fell into the net as the ball dropped over the line to ensure Keogh’s name features heavily in the Goal of the Season conversation.

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Diego Castro sent a curling shot off the left-hand side of the 18-yard box just wide of the opposite post in the minutes after Keogh’s second goal as the home side got well on top to take a 2-0 lead to half-time.

The Wanderers responded swiftly after the break, pegging a goal back through an emphatic strike from distance hit with venom by Kamau.

The red-hot Wanderers forward gathered off Ziegler and drove toward goal. From a central position Kamau took the ball onto his right and unleashed a shot toward the opposite goalpost. The ball hit the woodwork on its way past Liam Reddy into the back of the net.

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The Wanderers wrestled momentum back at HBF Park as Tate Russell, Graham Dorrans and James Troisi went close with their respective attempts before Ziegler conceded an all-important penalty when Ikonomidis’ cross diverted off his body and onto his arm in the box.

With a spot kick awarded in their favour the home side sent Keogh to the spot, who wrapped up his hat-trick with a smart finish into the bottom right corner.

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But Keogh wasn’t satisfied with his three-goal haul. The rampaging striker continued to move into dangerous space and by the 72nd minute he had his fourth on a memorable night at HBF Park.

Keogh was lurking at the back post when Ikonomidis intercepted Ziegler’s header on the right side of the 18-yard box. The winger drove toward the byline and attempted to lash a firm ball across goal, but Ziegler got a lunging leg onto the cross to send it looping toward the back post, over Margush for Keogh to sweep it home under pressure from Russell.

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It was lights out at HBF Park moments before the final whistle when Chianese made it 5-1 with an impact finish off the bench.

Chianese slid in to tuck his shot past Margush under extreme pressure from a desperate Ziggy Gordon tackle. Chianese was found with a deft through ball played by Osama Malik which pierced Western Sydney’s defensive line, allowing the Glory substitute to find the space he needed to put the cherry on top of an impressive Glory win.