The Fury may have opened the scoring through Isaka Cernak's eighth-minute header but a sparkling volley from Adelaide's Flores restored parity before the Reds took the lead after the break.

Just five minutes into the second half, Adelaide went ahead through Brett Studman's unfortunate own goal while Daniel Mullen doubled the advantage in the 56th minute.

The Fury kept fighting and David Williams was eventually rewarded for his efforts when he pulled back a goal with four minutes remaining.

But enduring a nervous few minutes as North Queensland attacked heavily, the Reds held on to secure a win that takes them temporarily on top of the A-League table.

North Queensland Fury 2 (Cernak 7', Williams 86')
Adelaide United 3 (Flores 22', Studman o.g 50', Mullen 56')
Crowd 6,130 at Dairy Farmers Stadium