A-League: Melbourne City survives despite Western United pulling two back in madcap second half
Unconvincing it might have been but Melbourne City achieved the desired result after some testing moments in a second half that saw all sorts of calamities against Western United.
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Second spot was at stake on Friday night but neither Melbourne City or Western United showed signed to suggest A-League leader Sydney FC should be worried.
In fact, striker Adam Le Fondre is the only Sky Blue with a bee in his bonnet after United provided a generous late Christmas gift for Jamie Maclaren to join him atop the golden boot charts.
But wins can build confidence, and City hope Friday night’s unconvincing 3-2 win at AAMI Park can reinject the confidence missing the last two weeks.
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Socceroo Maclaren broke his two-game scoring duck — which seems like an eternity for City’s scoring machine, while Uruguayan Adrian Luna smashed home a sublime volley before they lost their heads and United almost exploited.
Trailing City by two points at kick off, a five-point gap has now emerged with United coach Mark Rudan set to dip into the January transfer market.
Rudan felt that the game should have been postponed amid the thick haze of smoke that hovered over AAMI Park.
“I thought the game should have been called off (because of) the smoke. Some of the players came back into the rooms and said they struggled to breath, felt it down their throat and lungs. But clearly there’s rules and the doctors know what’s safe and what isn’t. It was testing conditions, I commend both sets of players,” Rudan said.
“That’s the A-League at its best. Disappointed in the end. They were a lot more intense in the first half, we should’ve been better with the ball.”
City’s 64-year-old French coach Erick Mombaerts admitted his players tested his ticker.
“Maybe our players want to test me. If I am in good health for (the new year),” Mombaerts said.
“We played so well in the first half, exactly what we want to do. The second half we asked them to concentrate.
“When you (lead) three-nil, you think it’s easy — you don’t concentrate. We made mistake, momentum changed.”
MACCA’S LATE XMAS GIFT
Le Fondre started two goals ahead in the golden boot race, Maclaren drew level with two of easiest goals of his career.
The first was a collective United shambles which saw the ball trickle over the line in a goalmouth scramble.
Maclaren’s second and City’s third was gift-wrapped by United keeper Filip Kurto, who raced way too far off his line and fresh-aired the ball, with the striker stroking into an empty goal.
UNITED’S RADICAL RESHUFFLE
United’s defensive woes caused a reshuffle with a spate of injuries combining with the sale of Connor Chapman to South Korea.
With Brendan Hamill (knee) out for the season and Aaron Calver (foot) and Ersan Gulum also missing, United switched from a back three to back four for the first time this season.
It left no less than no less than four players out of position, and the fullbacks — Seb Pasquali and Connor Pain — were tested most in a chaotic first half for United.
While Dylan Pierias struggled last week, he may have been a better option at right back than Pasquali, who’s a midfielder through and through — and a very good one at that.
Ex-City midfielder Josh Cavallo, who made his A-League debut alongside Thiel Iradukunda, and fellow substitute Pierias made instant impacts when coming on.
Cavallo and Pierias earnt quickfire penalties, which Besart Berisha and Alessandro Diamanti.
It made for an interesting finish, but anything less than a City win would have been daylight robbery after United’s first half horror show.
CITY’S DEFENSIVE CHANGE
Tinkering with the defence during the game is fraught with danger, as evidenced on Friday night.
Making his first appearance since October 27, City stopper Richard Windbichler was clearly short of a gallop despite a stellar 45 minutes alongside Curtis Good, where he appeared to relish the duel with Besart Berisha.
But struggling to cope with the humidity, Windbichler was replaced at the break by Harrison Delbridge, the man he replaced in the first XI.
While Delbridge has been superb this season, it can be difficult for stoppers to adjust mid-match and it can upset the team’s balance.
The sudden momentum shift caught him and City off guard, and he was harshly sent off after VAR intervention for a handball that led to the second penalty.
MELBOURNE CITY 3 (Maclaren 5, 44, Luna 35)
WESTERN UNITED 2 (Berisha PEN 75, Diamanti PEN 79)
Crowd: 8677 at AAMI Park
City (4-3-3): Bouzanis; Atkinson, Windbichler (Delbridge 46), Good, Jamieson; Brillante, Luna, Berenguer (Griffiths 70); Wales (Galloway 87), Noone, Maclaren.
Western United (4-2-3-1): Kurto; Pasquali, Durante, Aspropotamitis, Pain; Jertec (Iradukunda 54), Skotadis; Diamanti, Yuel (Pierias 71), Stametolopoulos (Cavallo 71); Berisha.
Referee: Adam Kersey
Red cards: Delbridge 78.
DAVUTOVIC’S MAN OF THE MATCH
CRAIG NOONE (City)
The winger caused United havoc cutting in from the wing and despite not scoring, it was an impressive all-round display.
Originally published as A-League: Melbourne City survives despite Western United pulling two back in madcap second half