Round 11 saw Western Sydney Wanderers close the gap to Brisbane Roar at the top of the table, as Wellington Phoenix grabbed their first win.
Round 11 saw Western Sydney Wanderers close the gap to Brisbane Roar at the top of the table, as Wellington Phoenix grabbed their first win.
Brisbane Roar 0-2 Newcastle Jets
Brisbane-s recent good run came to an end at the hands of the Newcastle Jets. Gary van Egmond-s side has a fantastic record at Suncorp Stadium and their plan was evident from the start.
They were well set in their defensive structure and after an own goal from James Donachie, they had something to protect.
Kew Jaliens was particularly effective at centre half and Mark Birighitti made some decent saves as Newcastle fought with all their might to keep out Brisbane.
Despite having over 60% possession, Brisbane couldn-t find a goal and when Josh Brillante picked out Joe Gibbs on the counter attack late on, the young forward poked home through the legs of Michael Theo to guarantee the three points.
Melbourne Heart 1-3 Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Derby-s are never short on action and this Round 11 edition was no different. Melbourne Heart coach John Aloisi needs results and his side started ever so brightly, with Harry Kewell pulling the strings.
They dominated the opening 20 minutes but their effectiveness was ended when Patrick Kisnorbo saw red for a tackle on Connor Pain. Michael Mifsud was sacrificed as Patrick Gerhardt was sent on to shore up the defence.
Victory took the initiative playing against ten men and Mitch Nichols gave them the lead in the first half, before James Troisi doubled their lead with a superb finish from the edge of the area.
Nichols- second goal put the game to bed, and although Nick Kalmar scored a fortuitous goal late on, the points were never in doubt for Kevin Muscat, but Aloisi will be wondering what might have been.
Perth Glory 0-0 Adelaide United
After a tumultuous week off the pitch, Perth Glory would have been glad to get back on it, even if the 0-0 draw with Adelaide United was nothing to get excited about.
Jacob Burns was unsurprisingly recalled to the side by new coach, Kenny Lowe, who ironically enough included him alongside Ryan Edwards.
The match was dominated by defence, although Marcelo Carrusca was typically excellent in midfield, constantly probing for Adelaide.
Perth suffered a blow late on when Ryo Nagai had to be replaced after picking up an injury that they hope won-t keep him out for too long.
Wellington Phoenix 1-0 Sydney FC
At last, the wait is over. Wellington Phoenix scored their first win of the season, at home to Sydney FC on Saturday evening.
Only their profligacy in front of goal has prevented the Phoenix from taking more points this season and Ernie Merrick will be pleased that their good football has finally brought them a three-point result.
Stein Huysegems scored the only goal of the game, rounding Vedran Janjetovic to finish into an empty net.
The goal was set up by Carlos Hernandez, who was in mercurial form throughout. He missed the match at North Sydney Oval last week, but the Costa Rican gave a timely reminder of his qualities with this display.
It could have been different had Joel Chianese not squandered a golden opportunity early on for Sydney FC, though he was not alone, Ranko Despotovic was also guilty of a bad miss.
Phoenix-s celebrations were tempered by the news that Paul Ifill suffered a ruptured Achilles and will miss the rest of the season.
Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 Central Coast Mariners
Wanderers closed the gap at the top of the table to two points, beating Central Coast Mariners on Monday night.
It was a superb first half performance in stifling heat that gained the three points for Tony Popovic-s side.
The Mariners suffered a blow early on when Mile Sterjovski was injured and was replaced by Nick Fitzgerald.
Wanderers had Tomi Juric back in the starting line-up after five weeks out injured and he heralded his return with an outstanding goal, a scissor kick at the back post to give his side the lead.
When Youssouf Hersi doubled their lead, tapping in a Shinji Ono cross, the Mariners had it all to do. The combination of the heat and the fact that they were backing up from Thursday night saw them fade in the second half, and the Wanderers claimed a well-deserved three points.
