CENTRAL COAST MARINERS

Mark Birighitti - 7

Quiet end to the first half was exploded in his face at the outmark of the second. The poor bloke was left a stunned mullet by Ben Halloran’s epic curler.

Recovered well though.

Lewis Miller - 7.5 

He was brought into threatening positions by the excellent link-up play of Danny De Silva and added his own attacking excellence at times.

It was really entertaining watching him bolt down James Troisi after the former Socceroo robbed him aggressively on the line, forcing the star into a lackadaisical turnover.

He makes mistakes – all youngsters do – but he’s fun to watch.

Tommy Oar - 7

Beautiful cross for the Mariners’ opener and some really important defensive displays as well.        

Ziggy Gordon - 8

He deserves a lot of credit. It’s not everyday you find a rough and tumble Glaswegian who can hack someone down, lead a club by example and still has the pace to run down a lightning quick winger.

Kye Rowles - 8

Stunning finish for a young centreback, full of poise. He’s becoming more of a physical threat from set pieces as well, quite an achievement for a lanky ginger-haired lad. Keep watching those Chuck Norris videos, son.

Gianni Stensness - 6.5

He takes up intelligent positions and deals well with pressure, but also drifts in and out of matches sometimes.        

Daniel De Silva - 8

Our best player of the first half, dictating play and withholding possession beautifully.

Nearly scoring from a first-time chip from well outside the box…we’re beginning to see the De Silva of old now, a timely reminder of why the likes of AS Roma were once so keen on him as a youngster.

Kim Eun-Sun - 8

He’s very cool on the ball. The way he effortlessly swings away and evades players, the way he seemed to play with Al Hassan Toure at times, all signs of a fantastic player yet to show his best football on the Coast.   

Milan Duric - 8

Read our 3 Things We Learned. What more can we say?

PLUS...

3 Things We Learned: Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United

All the crappy quips and talking points from the Central Coast Mariners' resurgent 2-1 win over Adelaide United at Central Coast Stadium.

Jair - 6

He had his moments but overall, another disappointing performance. He definitely doesn’t contribute enough for an import in attacking positions, but his touch is admittedly impressive.

Jordan Murray - 7.5

The complete opposite of Jair. Intensely physical, a tireless worker, strong in the air and an underrated piece in Central Coast’s puzzle. His influence in the first goal sums up what he brings to this team and the A-League in general.

SUBS

Dylan Fox - 7

He absorbed pressure and was generally composed as Adelaide began to threaten more regularly as the match wore on.

Samuel Silvera - 6

Not too much to write about from Silvera.

Matt Simon - N/A

Nothing magical about the Wizard of Woy Woy tonight. Simon just did his job, as he often does.

ADELAIDE UNITED

Isaac Richards - 6

So-so performance, albeit one against a top-class striker in red hot form.

Ryan Strain - 6.5

He’s quite effective sitting centrally when Adelaide heap pressure, collecting and redistributing possession to maintain momentum. His vision is an underrated part of his game.

Michaël Maria - 5.5

The fact Verbeek was constantly yelling at his Dutch stalwart in Dutch tells the story. Although what story, we’re not entirely sure of either.

Michael Marrone - 5

Disappointing performance and a half-time substitution.

Michael Jakobsen - 7.5

Quite impressive despite the defeat. He’s one of the most consistent performers in the entire league, so when things go a little awry it’s little surprise that it’s not his fault.        

Louis D'Arrigo - 7 

Calm under pressure and always precise in his release, he’s clearly excelling in the role Verbeek has him in.

Nathan Konstandopoulos - 6.5

He tried to provide a spark in the second half but with little result. 

James Troisi - 5.5

Shaky display. He seems to drop his head too easily after a mistake, a strange characteristic for someone so experienced.

Al Hassan Toure - 6

Spent most of his time chasing shadows unfortunately for United, who have shown that they don’t mind wholeheartedly relying on his electric contributions at times.

Ben Halloran - 7.5

What an incredible strike. At such a pivotal moment in the match, he deserves every plaudit. Pity it couldn’t spark his team into more of a response, because it deserved it.      

Nikola Mileusnic - 6

While he forced Birighitti into his only save of the match, he didn’t contribute nearly enough going forward.

SUBS

Jordan Elsey - 7

Very composed and impressive upon entering, he and Jakobsen performed very strongly in the second half.

Lachlan Brook - 6

It’s testament to Verbeek’s lack of attacking options that upon withdrawing Troisi, Brook was the replacement. As poor as Troisi was, Brook wasn’t exactly an inspiring attacking selection either.

Ryan Kitto - 6

Solid but unspectacular.