A stunning second half performance from substitute Anas Ouahim saw Sydney FC defeat Western Sydney Wanderers 4-2 in a thrilling Sydney Derby in Unite Round.
Both Douglas Costa and Lolley were straight back into the starting line-up following injury and the Englishman had the desired impact, opening the scoring in the 33rd minute.
Finding himself in acres of space inside the box, Lolley thumped home the opener from close range after Patryk Klimala’s initial shot fell straight to him after it was blocked.
Against the run of play the Wanderers then hit their opponents with a sucker punch right before the break; Zac Sapsford rounding off a blistering counter attack to score his third goal in his last five games against Sydney FC.
No doubt aggrieved to be level at the break the Sky Blues restored their lead within three minutes of the restart with defender Jordan Courtney-Perkins heading home from a freekick.
Capitalising on their opponents mis-fortune, Sydney then made it 3-1 just six minutes later with Anas Ouahim scoring from the penalty spot after Rhyan Grant was fouled inside the box.
Brought on after going 3-1 down, Spanish star Juan Mata then delivered a pinpoint corner to pick out fellow sub Marcus Antonsson, who headed the ball past Andrew Redmayne to set up a grand stand finish.
However the home side then put pay to any Wanderers hopes of a dramatic late comeback as Polish striker Patryk Klimala rifled home his third goal of the season in the 82nd minute to make it 4-2 to Sydney FC.
Substitute Jaiden Kucharski then netted a late fifth for the home side only to see the goal chalked off due to a foul in the build-up by Thiago Quintal.
The result sees Sydney FC climb up to fifth on the ladder following the third win of the season while the Wanderers now sit 10th after suffering their third loss of the campaign.
Played out in front of a raucous crowd at Allianz Stadium, the visitors had the first look at goal as defender Anthony Pantazopoulos hooked an effort harmlessly past the post from an early corner.
With both Costa and Lolley back in the Sydney FC side the dup looked to make things happen in the front third of the pitch but the final ball was lacking at first as both looked to regain their respective rhythms.
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The Sky Blues fashioned their first chance of the game in the 16th minute as Segecic combined well with his teammates to work some space inside the box however the winger pulled his shot wide of the target.
The Wanderers then had the clearest chance of the first half but forward Bozhidar Kraev couldn’t capitalise after lifting his shot over the bar from close range.
Sky Blues midfielder Anthony Caceres became the first player to be written down in the referee’s notebook for the evening, receiving a yellow card for a late, crunching tackle on Wanderers counterpart Dylan Scicluna.
Going in search of his first goal in Sky Blue, Douglas Costa whipped a dangerous looking free kick past Socceroo Lawrence Thomas’ near post but while the deadlock remained intact on that occasion, it was soon broken.
Breaking down the left, Segecic sent a dangerous ball into the box which fell to Klymala and while the Polish striker’s shot was initially blocked it fell kindly to Lolley who smashed the ball home with the goal gaping.
To top it all off, the Englishman then produced a golf swing celebration to the adoring crowd, no doubt a response to the criticism he and his team mate Jordan Courtney-Perkins faced for playing golf in the lead up to the derby with Wanderers duo Juan Mata and Marcus Antonsson.
Tempers then flared as both Brandon Borrello and Douglas Costa received bookings following a set-too in the middle of the pitch while Klymala and Scicluna also clashed in the same incident.
Sydney shot-stopper Andrew Redmayne then took a heavy blow to the ribs, colliding with his own player to thwart a dangerous Wanderers move.
Despite the Sky Blues controlling the game though the Wanderers hit back on the stroke of half time and it was former Sydney yougnster Sapsford who once again returned to haunt his old side.
Winning the ball back inside their own half the Wanderers then sprang a lightning quick counter attack, catching the Sky Blues high up the pitch, and Sapsford slotted the ball home from close range after he was picked out by a perfect pass from Nicolas Milanovic.
To add to the drama the young forward then celebrated with his team mates directly in front of the Sydney FC fans to cap off what was an exhilarating first half of football.
Sydney FC boss Ufuk Talay made the game’s first change at the break, bringing on Anas Ouahim for Costa and the change proved to be a masterstroke.
After Leo Sena was fouled midway inside the Wanderers half Ouahim then took charge of the set-piece. Curling a sumptuous ball in to the box, the delivery found the en-rushing Courtney-Perkins who headed the ball beyond Thomas to restore the home side’s lead.
Having now re-established their lead the Sky Blues set about increasing it and did so just five minutes later from the spot.
Battling for a loose ball inside the box, Sydney skipper Grant pipped Pantazopoulos to the post and was subsequently brought down by the Wanderers defender and referee Daniel Elder pointed to the spot.
Having just provided an assist Ouahim then did the honours with the penalty kick, drilling his effort low beyond the dive of Thomas to register a goal and assist within eight minutes of coming on.
Now two goals behind Wanderers boss Alen Stajcic promptly rang the changes, making four subs at once; including the introduction of Spanish World Cup winning midfielder Mata.
Now desperately seeking a way back into the game the away side began to crank up the pressure and substitute Marcus Antonsson came close to pulling one back, however his shot squirmed narrowly wide of the far post.
However Antonsson would soon have his first league goal since January 1, finding space inside the box at a corner to head home Mata’s out-swinging delivery to make it 3-2.
But just as the Wanderers were amping up the pressure the Sky Blues restored their two-goal buffer thanks to yet more excellent work from Ouahim.
After Borrello was robbed of the ball in the Sydney half the Sky Blues pounced to re-stablish their dominance in the game.
Carrying the ball deep into opposition territory, Ouahim shook off the attempted challenge of Borello before playing Klimala in on goal and the Pole did the rest; drilling the ball beyond Thomas to make it 4-2 and send the Sydney fans into raptures.
