Jamie Maclaren scored five goals in Melbourne City’s 7-0 mauling of Melbourne Victory in the standout fixture of Matchweek 17.
Brisbane Roar kicked off the Matchweek with a 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers, before Central Coast Mariners Mariners lost 1-0 to Western United on Saturday afternoon, allowing City to jump into top spot on the A-League table on Saturday night.
Sunday saw a triple-header take place, with Adelaide coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Sydney FC at Leichhardt Oval and Newcastle Jets tying with Macarthur FC by the same margin.
Matchweek 17 concluded with a 3-1 Wellington Phoenix win over Perth Glory away from home – a result which helped Ufuk Talay’s side stick tight to Western United and Roar as the three sides placed seventh to ninth continue to push for a place in the top six.
Read on to see who made our 4-3-3 formation in the Team of the Week, presented by Bunnings Warehouse.
MW17 REPORT: City 7-0 Victory: Maclaren bags five, City score seven, Victory fall apart in Melbourne Derby
MORE: Victory parts ways with Brebner after Melbourne Derby drubbing
Goalkeeper
Jamie Young – Brisbane Roar
Consecutive wins have helped Brisbane Roar return to the Finals Series conversation.
The second of those results came off the back of Jamie Young’s starring role in between the sticks against Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday, April 16, who made six saves from seven shots faced in his side’s 2-1 win away from home.
MW17 REPORT: Danzaki helps Brisbane secure pivotal win over Wanderers
MORE: Mariners agree deal for transfer of Alou Kuol at end of season
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249169904001
Defenders
Connor Pain – Western United
Connor Pain scored an early goal before helping his side cling onto a clean sheet as Western United earned three points against Central Coast Mariners in Tasmania on Saturday afternoon.
United won 1-0 thanks to Pain’s early goal. The wing-back added two clearances and four interceptions to his decisive goal and contribution to a clean sheet in an impressive win for the Green and Black.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249247254001
Tomoki Imai – Western United
Tomoki Imai operated as one of three central defenders for Western United in their 1-0 victory over the Mariners.
Alongside Brendan Hamill and Andrew Durante, there was no getting past Imai who made a game-high five clearances, one interception and passed 55 times at 85.5% accuracy.
Nuno Reis – Melbourne City
Nuno Reis provided the defensive solidity in Melbourne City’s total domination of Melbourne Victory in a 7-0 win at AAMI Park.
Reis took the most touches (114) and laid the most passes (108 at 89.8% accuracy) of any player on the park. The Portuguese defender won all eight of his duels and made two interceptions as City shut out their bitter rivals.
MW17 REPORT: Reds’ late show steals draw with Sydney FC in Leichhardt thriller
MW17 REPORT: Early Pain strike helps Western United down Mariners in Tasmania
Scott Jamieson – Melbourne City
City captain Scott Jamieson was just one of many sublime City performers against Victory.
The left-back took 107 touches to lay 94 passes at 92.6% accuracy. Jamieson linked defence to attack whilst enjoying a 100% tackle success rate, setting the tone for City’s unstoppable Melbourne Derby display.
Midfielders
Adrián Luna – Melbourne City
A late goal capped off Adrián Luna’s dominant shift in a creative role for City against Victory.
Luna created four chances on the night, assisting Jamie Maclaren’s fifth and final goal in the 7-0 win. With his side in possession of a six-goal advantage, Luna put the icing on the cake with a well-hit finish off Marco Tilio’s assist, dispatching the ball into the top-left corner in the 87th minute to cap off his side’s memorable derby night.
Jay O’Shea – Brisbane Roar
It’s a second Team of the Week selection in as many Matchweeks for Jay O’Shea, who provided composure and creativity to a Brisbane Roar outfit intent on upsetting the Wanderers on their home turf.
O’Shea bossed the midfield in a 90-minute display in which he shone throughout the first half, playing a team-high 66 passes, four crosses, creating three chances and making four clearances and one interception. The Irishman went close to scoring a Goal of the Season candidate with an attempt struck from within his defensive half which rattled the crossbar.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249168385001
Ulises Dávila – Wellington Phoenix
Ulises Dávila and the Phoenix have steadied of late, getting points on the board as reward for effort as opposed to early in the 2020/21 campaign when nothing seemed to be falling the way of Ufuk Talay’s side.
The Phoenix travelled to Perth in Matchweek 17 to claim a 3-1 victory – Dávila created four chances on goal and provided the assist for Jaushua Sotirio’s finish. Dávila played a hand in Louis Fenton’s second half goal by forcing a save from Liam Reddy from a shot which spilled into the path of his Phoenix teammate to convert into an unguarded goal.
MW17 REPORT: Ruthless Phoenix sink Glory to boost Finals Series hopes
MW17 REPORT: Ugarkovic screamer sees Jets secure draw with Macarthur FC
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249309028001
Forwards
Bobô – Sydney FC
Sydney FC striker Bobô netted twice before the hour mark in Sydney FC’s Matchweek 17 encounter with Adelaide United.
A pair of late goals to the Reds denied Bobô the match-winning impact as both sides settled for a 2-2 draw.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249300274001
Jamie Maclaren – Melbourne City
Five goals to City superstar Jamie Maclaren helped Patrick Kisnorbo’s side thump Victory and leapfrog the Mariners into top spot on the A-League table.
Maclaren was unstoppable in the second half of the Melbourne Derby, piling on a further four goals after his first-half penalty conversion to turn a big City win into a total annihilation.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249255635001
Marco Tilio – Melbourne City
Marco Tilio came off the bench for Melbourne City against Victory with the score at 2-0 in his side’s favour. Tilio would go on to play a hand in four of the five goals to come, including an assist for Maclaren with his first touch of the ball one minute after entering the contest.
Tilio proceeded from assisting Maclaren’s second and City’s third to winning a penalty to help his side go 4-0 up. Tilio forced a turnover which led to the sixth goal of the game before assisting Luna in the 87th minute, who made it 7-0.
MORE: Terrific Tilio making his impact felt in growing City role
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6249255534001
