The Sky Blues dominated in the early stages, bossing possession, dictating play and cutting Glory wide open. The term “here they come again” was used over and over, thanks to the sheer number of Sydney’s attacking waves. Two attacking-minded changes at half-time provided Perth with a shot of adrenaline, boosting their chances of a seemingly impossible comeback.

A late fight back was put on by the Glory with striker Adam Taggart bagging two goals, mounting the pressure on Sydney. The Sky Blues showed all their quality, staying strong and disciplined to see the game out through five minutes of stoppage time.

Perth Glory

Liam Reddy - 6

Guessed the wrong way with the penalty and could only stand and watch with Bobo’s first and Adrian’s strike, conceding three goals.

Scott Neville – 5.5

Lost track of Bobo and Matt Simon far too easily, allowing for passes to get through and giving Sydney more chances to attack his team’s goal.

Dino Djulbic – 6.5

Did what he could, when he could, by clearing the ball from the penalty area to help halt any more Sydney attacks. Fell to Matt Simon’s smart play to give away a penalty for the second goal.

Shane Lowry – 5.5

Failed to deal with Sydney’s play, turning into a dog chasing his own tail in some cases. The desire was there, but just one of those nights for the big defender.

Joe Mills - 5

Made occasional smart runs down the side to support the wide midfielders. Some very odd crosses left everyone bewildered, unable to link up with anyone in the box.

Neil Kilkenny – 7

A shining light in a dark Glory midfield. Kilkenny kept the ball moving fast and kept his opponents further away. Shame his teammates weren’t on the same page.

Andreu – 4

Went missing.

Xavi Torres – 6.5

Strong game. Quick passing to the wide players meant more opportunities to attack, even with the lack early on. Assertive when running with the ball and always knew where he wanted to go and what to do.

Joel Chianese – 5                                            

Way too quiet. Didn’t manage to link up with his teammates, not like his usual self.

Andy Keogh - 6

Without any quality service, the usual attacking threat wasn’t able to create anything with any real menace and danger.

Diego Castro – 7

Wasn’t at his best. Showed off some classy footwork but some bad decision-making in crucial moments let him down massively.

Substitutes

Adam Taggart – 8.5

Came on and scored two goals, bringing his side back into it. Without him, the score line might’ve read much worse.

 

Chris Harold – 5

Made some attacking runs that weren’t met by any passes, and didn’t manage to cause any real danger to the Sky Blue’s full backs.

Alex Grant – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to warrant a rating.

Sydney FC

Andrew Redmayne - 7

Didn’t have much to do and was only called upon in the latter stages, passing every test with flying colours.

Paulo Retre – 6.5         

Made some good and intelligent runs down the wing, but never managed to deliver a dangerous cross to either of the attacking players.

Jordy Buijs – 7

Solid play, as always. We weren’t treated to the usual Buijs attacking runs into enemy territory, held back helping his team deal with Glory forays.

Alex Wilkinson – 7.5

Forever dealing with everything with top professionalism, judgement and skill. Managed to look and stay composed with every potential threat.

Luke Wilkshere - 6

Not as many attacking runs as we’ve become accustomed to so far this season. Dealt with Joel Chianese in the first half and then Chris Harold in the second half, keeping them relatively quiet.

Adrian Mierzejewski – 8

Adrian the antagonist was back at it again, starting attacking movements off and ending them. A joy to watch once again.

Chris Zuvela – 7

Stepped up to the plate, quick ball movement and smart passing impressed everyone.

Brandon O’Neil – 8.5

Some brilliant and intelligent play saw him set his side up to take the lead during the first period. He’s a player everyone would want on their team, the ultimate midfielder. Equally as impressive in his attacking and defending play.

Milos Ninkovic – 7.5

Stayed quiet compared to his lofty standards. When he was called upon he attempted his usual dance moves but couldn’t quite pull them off.

Matt Simon - 7

Started with a bang, running at defenders and going hard to get his side on the front foot. A good breakaway run saw him draw Dino Djulbic in and bring Simon down, allowing for Bobo to dispatch from the spot.

Bobo - 9

Record breaker over here. A brace on the night and 24 for the season. Enough said?

Substitutes

Alex Brosque – 6

Didn’t make much of an impact at all. Helped stabilise Sydney’s attacking movements, especially when the pressure began to mount.

Fabio Ferreira – 6

Came on and brought some fresh legs into midfield, just what the Sky Blues needed in the final moments. 

Ben Warland– N/A

Didn’t have enough time on the park to warrant a rating.