Sydney FC have broken a two-game losing streak, coming from one goal down to defeat Western United 4-2 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Lolley was the star of the show for the Sky Blues, scoring twice and assisting Jack Rodwell’s first goal of the season in a commanding display.
Western struck early through Angus Thurgate but Fabio Gomes and Lolley responded before half-time, with Rodwell putting the home side two goals clear early in the second half.
Substitute Matthew Grimaldi scored his first A-Leagues goal off the bench for Western to make it 3-2 with less than 10 minutes to play – but the visitors were ultimately left to rue a number of big second-half chances as Lolley struck in stoppage time to confirm Sydney’s 4-2 win.
Defeat in Sydney saw Western crash back down to earth after a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar last weekend; due to a touchline ban, head coach John Aloisi watched on from the stands as his side was dealt a seventh defeat in nine games to start the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
UNITE ROUND TICKETS ON SALE NOW: Get your tickets for the ultimate away day here
Western took just five minutes to take the lead at Allianz Stadium, with suspect marking from a Lachie Wales corner allowing Thurgate to ghost in unmarked at the back post to score his first league goal in his new club’s colours.
PHOENIX TOP AT CHRISTMAS: Stoppage-time drama as Phoenix stun Wanderers
The Western players were buoyed by the early opener and pressed on in search of a second, with Daniel Penha firing over the crossbar and Wales spurning a glorious opportunity with a miscued first-time attempt into an unmarked goal after a fizzing Riku Danzaki cross off the left wing.
Western keeper Thomas Heward-Belle departed Sydney in the off-season and came up with a remarkable save to deny Robert Mak an equaliser from inside the six-yard box.
Down 1-0 at home, the Sky Blues were in danger of ceding total control to Western at Allianz Stadium until Fabio popped up with a much-needed goal to level the scores.
The Brazilian’s finish came after a corner and three headers won by his teammates in the penalty area; the Sky Blue determination paid off in spades as Fabio broke his four-game goalless run.
Then it was Lolley’s turn to come to the fore, collecting a Western clearance from a free-kick, sizing up the target from outside the box, and delivering a stinging blow into the bottom-right corner.
ROAR 0-3 MARINERS: Champions continue return to form as Torres, Túlio excite in win over Roar
The Sky Blues were caught out by a Western corner routine early in the first half, but the roles were reversed soon after half-time when Lolley drifted his delivery to the back post for Rodwell to guide a looping header back across goal and into the back of the net.
Sydney’s 3-1 lead could have easily become four or five in the minutes that followed if not for the superb glovework of Heward-Belle, firstly to push an Anthony Caceres strike around the post, and then to tip a Fabio header over the crossbar.
Western were down, but not out at the hour mark, and Noah Botic should have made it 3-2 when Penha’s defence-splitting pass led to Wales’ perfect cross to the back post where the young striker had arrived unmarked; Botic’s shot toward an empty net went the wrong side of the post in a major let-off for Sydney.
Western were at it again in a flash, with Wales and Penha combining with a series of passes to get in behind Sydney’s backline. Penha’s cutback found Wales for a first-time shot which he dragged wide.
Those two wasted chances by Botic and Wales hurt Western dearly. Substitute Grimaldi came off the bench to score his first A-Leagues goal just three minutes into his cameo appearance – and it could have been an equaliser if not for those earlier opportunities.
Fellow Western substitute Michael Ruhs had the ball in the back of the net in the 89th minute but the equaliser wouldn’t stand, with the linesman correctly picking out an offside call on Botic in the build-up.
Western showed no let-up in pursuit of that all-important third goal, before Lolley put the result beyond doubt for Sydney with a peach of a strike into the top-right corner in second-half stoppage time.
The talking point
After a much-needed win over Western United, Sydney FC head coach Ufuk Talay must now shift his attention to a clash with Wellington Phoenix, his former side coached by Talay’s former protégé Giancarlo Italiano.
Italiano was given the top job after serving as Talay’s assistant, and he’s relished the first nine rounds of his tenure, guiding the Phoenix to the top of the table.
Speaking after victory over Western, Talay revealed both he and Italiano keep in weekly contact, sharing insights on each other’s processes in the lead-up to each Isuzu UTE A-League fixture – but Talay expects radio silence this week, as both coaches plot a route to three points in the Round 10 clash at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
“Chiefy (Italiano) is a fantastic person,” Talay told Paramount+.
“He’s a great coach. He’s got them playing some really great counter-attacking football.
“We speak twice a week with Chiefy still. And we’ll talk about the game, what he’s planning to do and what we’re planning to do. I’m sure we won’t catch up this week! “
“But he’s worked out a way to try and get the best out of the players and he’s currently doing so.”
The star
Joe Lolley was immense for the Sky Blues on Saturday afternoon.
His first goal of the game put Sydney ahead in the first half – but he didn’t stop there, assisting Jack Rodwell early in the second half to put the hosts two goals clear at 3-1, and then putting the nail in the coffin with a stoppage-time strike.
In the minutes prior to Lolley’s calm finish to make it 4-2, Western United were pounding at Sydney’s door in an attempt to find an equaliser. Lolley popped up when his side needed him most to put the result to bed; if not for his exquisite strike into the top-right corner, Western may have managed to snatch a point in a dramatic finish at Allianz Stadium.
