On recent form, it looked like second-placed Melbourne City were a near sure thing in their Melbourne Derby clash against Melbourne Victory heading into Friday night’s clash at AAMI Park.
But Erick Mombaerts’ men had to turn aside a few unwanted records to take bragging rights from an absorbing contest between the bitter crosstown rivals.
Prior to their Round 18 clash, City had failed to beat the Victory in their past four Melbourne Derbies, their last win coming in Round 1 of the 2018/19 Season in a run that marked the Big V’s long unbeaten return against their neighbours.
And while the Victory have proven an erratic prospect week-to-week, they had previously showed up for the games against their biggest rival, with their only win of their past eight away matches coming against City in their pre-Christmas Derby at the same venue.
Interestingly, if history was to be any guide then the Victory perhaps should have seen the writing on the wall after just 45 minutes.
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Despite City holding just a single goal lead at the break, the hosts are unbeaten in 32 consecutive home games dating back to 2015 after leading at half-time.
Of course, they had Florin Berenguer’s opener to thank for setting the tone, which despite coming eight minutes into the match was more than a season in the making for the Frenchman, who played 26 previous matches without finding the back of the net in the Hyundai A-League.
But it was Jamie Maclaren’s second half strike that ultimately secured the points for City and, despite his league-leading return of 17 goal involvements this seasons prior to the match, he had failed to meet his own high standards against the Victory with just 6 goals in 14 prior clashes against the Big V.
REPORT: Maclaren magic sees City triumph in Melbourne Derby
REACTION: Mombaerts reveals masterplan behind maiden Derby triumph
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6130372045001
Have the Reds unearthed a new young gem?
They may have seen their imposing record against Brisbane Roar come to an end but Adelaide United look to have a star of the future in their hands.
Mohamed Toure – younger brother of Reds and Olyroos striker Al Hassan Toure – made his Hyundai A-League debut late in his side’s 2-1 loss at Suncorp Stadium.
In coming on for the last 10 minutes, Toure – at 15 years and 319 days – became the third youngest player in Hyundai A-League history.
Updated youngest #aleague players:
15y 212d Teeboy Kamara (AU) 16-Dec-11
15y 216d Idrus Abdulahi (MC) 26-Apr-19
15y 319d MOHAMED TOURE (AU) #BRIvADL
15y 361d Daniel De Silva (PG) 02-Mar-13
16y 059d Alusine Fofanah (WSW) 19-Jan-14Stats at start of season https://t.co/aVCeOhqmAe: pic.twitter.com/mvq6axDl7b
— andrew howe (@AndyHowe_statto) February 8, 2020
Despite his eye-catching display, the teenager wasn’t able to inspire the Reds to a late equaliser.
The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak for the Reds against the Roar, while they have now lost four of their last five games away from home in the Hyundai A-League.
In a worrying sign for Gertjan Verbeek, that’s the same number of defeats they had in their previous 14 road trips.
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https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6130740060001
Phoenix have found their new pass master
He may be in his first full season in the Hyundai A-League but Cameron Devlin’s influence on this Wellington Phoenix team can’t be understated.
The young midfielder has blossomed under Ufuk Talay in 2019/20, starting the last four games as Phoenix have surged into the top six.
While the Kiwi side went down 4-2 in a thriller against Glory on Friday night, the 21-year-old only enhanced his reputation with another all action-display.
Not only did Devlin have an assist for one of Gary Hooper’s two goals, he also attempted 101 passes, showing his confidence and maturity to get on the ball.
It’s the second time this season Devlin has attempted more than 100 passes, getting 105 away against Brisbane Roar last month.
Since Opta started recording passing stats in the 2012/13 Season, only three times has a Phoenix player attempted more than 100 passes, and Devlin owns two of those.
Phoenix’s defeat was their fourth in a row against Glory, who themselves increased their winning run on home soil to five straight games.
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REACTION: Glory’s depth rises to the fore as Popovic manages resources
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6130398355001
Jets blitz restores balance in F3 Derby
The Mariners certainly made a game of it in their 4-3 F3 Derby defeat to Newcastle Jets – and even levelled terms early in the second half – but the stats told a story of a team that was flattered by the final score.
The Jets blitzed their opponents in the first half with pace and intent that limited the Mariners to just 144 passes, which is the lowest total of any team in the first 45 minutes of a match this Hyundai A-League season.
While Dimitri Petratos did the bulk of the damage on the scoresheet – his double taking his tally to nine against Mariners which is more than he has netted against any rival club – it was also the solid performance of full-back Bobby Burns that proved telling to the final score.
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REACTION: ‘Better teams will punish us’ – Burns not happy with Derby win
The Irishman attempted 21 crosses for the Jets across the 90 minutes, which equals the season high set by the Mariners’ own Tommy Oar, who was tellingly absent for the visitors, against the Victory in January.
The result also restored the balance of power in the F3 Derby, with the Jets win ending a two-match winless run against the Mariners, but now seeing them with six wins from the past eight clashes against their Gosford-based rivals.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6130931339001
