Western Sydney Wanderers have completed a dream start to the season and are clear at the top of the table after defeating bitter rivals Sydney FC 1-0 at Bankwest Stadium.
In a highly anticipated match on Wanderers territory, it was Sydney FC that painted the opening 15 minutes sky blue with Milos Ninkovic hitting the crossbar in the early on.
But for all of Sydney's pressure, the valve at Bankwest Stadium burst courtesy of Wanderers skipper Mitchell Duke. Paolo Retre was dispossessed in his own half and Daniel Georgievski put the ball on a dime for Duke to make it 1-0.
Sydney continued to dominate but weren't rewarded with a goal. Kosta Barbarouses should have squared the ledger, missing a clear cut opportunity in the box, leaving Sydney FC fans with their hearts in their throats.
Sydney fans will feel they were hard done by only a few minutes into the second half with VAR ruling out Barbarouses' header which rolled across the goal and into Daniel Lopar's hands.
Annd Lopar sealed three points for Western Sydney when he denied Kosta Barbarouses in a one-on-one.
Wanderers go top of the A-League by three points, heading into a home match against Brisbane Roar next week.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Daniel Lopar - 8
Lopar was like a cat, weaving and clawing at everything that came his way. It worked in the end as the Swiss goalkeeper kept a clean sheet and ensured the Wanderers kept all three points.
Daniel Wilmering - 6.5
Wilmering, to many people's surprise had Mitchell Duke giving him a boost in defence when kick came to punch. Rhyan Grant was still causing the youngster some problems as his decision making was put to the test.
Mat Jurman - 7
Granted Jurman is the more confident passer of the Wanderers centre-backs, Sydney's pressing game caused him some issues in the opening 15 minutes. However, he recovered well and kept Sydney's lightning attack at bay.
Dylan McGowan - 7
The younger McGowan in the Sydney 'Brotherhood' Derby. McGowan is improving after each game and was had a fantastic match for Western Sydney.
Daniel Georgievski - 7
A beautifully timed and weighted cross found the head of his captain Mitchell Duke to open the scoring in the Derby.
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