Perth Glory climbed to third on the A-League table after a convincing 2-0 win over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Thursday.
Perth Glory climbed to third on the A-League table after a convincing 2-0 win over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Thursday.
Just over a month after the Glory’s 3-0 success at the same ground, first-half strikes from Billy Mehmet and Jacob Burns gave Perth all three points.
Glory boss Ian Ferguson made just the one change to the side that lost 3-0 to the Brisbane Roar in their last fixture.
Forward Mile Sterjovski – who has left the country to join up with Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Aerbin – was replaced in the starting side by Brazilian Andrezinho.
It took just six minutes for Ferguson’s men to take the lead.
Steven McGarry’s neat pass put former Adelaide United captain Travis Dodd in acres of space inside the penalty area and he composed himself before firing an effort across the face of goal.
On the line to turn the ball in was Mehmet who wheeled away in celebration after netting his sixth goal of the season.
Perth doubled their lead on 24 minutes as Burns scored a superb first-time effort from 20 yards.
United failed to clear the ball from a free-kick and the former Leeds United man hit a terrific effort with the outside of his boot that curled past Galekovic and left him with no chance.
It was Burns’ third A-League goal – which amazingly have all come against Adelaide – and his strike stunned the Hindmarsh Stadium crowd.
A timely intervention from Steve Pantelidis late in the half denied Sergio van Dijk what would have been a clear-cut chance to score in his 100th A-League match.
Despite United enjoying good possession in the early stages of the second half, it was the visitors creating all the chances and moments after Galekovic charged off his line to deny McGarry, Adam Hughes should have made it 3-0.
Dodd skipped past Anthony Golec and got to the byline before pulling a ball back for Hughes, who made a well-timed run.
But he turned the ball over from close range before Van Dijk tugged a shot wide on the hour-mark.
Hughes again hit a shot over the bar before he clashed heads with Osama Malik, leading to stitches for the Glory midfielder.
With 13 minutes left, Adelaide could have found a way back into the match but the goal was disallowed while the Reds misery continued when midfielder Fabian Barbiero was given a straight red card for an off-the-ball strike on Perth defender Dean Heffernan in the dying stages.
