PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEKEND – MELBOURNE VICTORY

Well, they were back to their clinical selves this week, pushing forward well. When they weren’t troubling Paul Izzo, they were scoring goals and Mariners had little in reply. They may have been helped by some wayward shooting up the other end, but Victory made sure they found the back of the net often.

Besart Berisha was back to his old ways putting in a few shots and finding the back of the net twice, the second time from a tight angle. James Troisi and Marco Rojas were also troubling the defence with the former finding the back of the net.

The Victory defence did its job too, ensuring that Lawrence Thomas faced just two shots all game. Central Coast may have gotten away just as many shots as Victory but couldn’t put many on target thanks to the work by the Victory defence.

The Victory may have faced on of the easier opponents in the league and will face Adelaide next week, but they were back to their clinical form we saw earlier in the season and the kind of form that could help them in their fight towards the finals.

They have closed the gap on Sydney to just nine points and while it could be hard to see them actually overtake their rivals, anything is possible when the two take on each other in two weeks time.

It will be an exciting run to finals now with Sydney being exposed over the weekend but if Victory displays the form they did this week, it will be definitely send a signal to Sydney. A great performance this week from the Victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEKEND – MICHAEL MARRONE

It may be a bizarre one but Michael Marrone was one of the biggest unsung heroes against the Newcastle Jets. He may missed the start of the season through injury but he could just be the player to help rally his team on the home stretch.

A 5-0 loss last weekend to Perth and a 1-0 win this weekend against Newcastle. The difference? Michael Marrone. Adelaide have struggled with some of the worst defence in the league this season but Marrone was able to prove this weekend it’s not all bad news.

Left to look after Newcastle’s most dangerous player, Andrew Nabbout, Marrone stepped up to the task. He won every tackle he went for and no other player won more duels, keeping onslaught of Newcastle attacks to a minimum.

Marrone kept his discipline about him too, conceding just one foul all game. He was closely matched all game by Tarek Elrich on the other side of the defence and it was those two players who put in the strongest performances for Adelaide, holding off Nabbout and Hoole. It was Marrone who was able to shine above though, keeping his discipline more so than Elrich.

A mid-week Champions League Game and then a game against Melbourne Victory will mean Marrone could be stretched next week but he will be confident knowing he put in a valuable performance this weekend.

GOAL OF THE WEEKEND – KOSTA BARBAROUSES

An excellent solo goal from Barbarouses who was able to restore Wellington with a small bit of pride following their 5-1 loss.

He skipped brilliantly between two players nutmegging both Manny Muscat and Luke Brattan before striking the ball brilliantly THROUGH the legs of Sorensen, completing a hattrick of nutmegs.

He came in from a tricky angle and despite having men in the middle, he trusted his ability to push through defenders, showing some of the spark that made him so deadly at Melbourne Victory.

While it may not have been the season he had hoped for with Wellington, Barbarouses was able to shell out a great goal and spare more blushes against City. A great goal.

FLOP OF THE WEEKEND – SYDNEY FC

They didn’t necessarily play badly, but they just seemed to lack something this weekend and that lead to them losing two of their most prized undefeated streaks. Not only do they have a loss against their name this season, they lost the Sydney Derby for the first time since January 2014.

They may have had some big refereeing decisions go against them but they will have to pay the price for allowing Western Sydney to capitalise on so few chances. Despite having double the amount of shots of Western Sydney, they landed just five on target, only one more than the Wanderers from half the amount of opportunities.

They must have left their shooting boots at home with Bobo one of the key culprits, landing just one of his five shots on target.

Sydney will be left to pick up the pieces for next week, facing a Melbourne City team that is riding high after defeating Wellington 5-1. It will have to be an immediate turnaround from Sydney who now face the pressure of Victory creeping slowly towards them.

Another showing or two like this and Sydney could come close to losing their top spot.

REFEREE WATCH

Two big penalty denials in the Derby have left many Sydney fans seething, with referee Chris Beath later acknowledging the last call should have been a penalty.

Milos Ninkovic had the ball in the box and was taken down by a wild challenge from Brendan Santalab however a penalty was not forthcoming and Sydney were left frustrated over that call.

Another missed call late in the match saw Alex Brosque clearly taken down in the box by Robbie Cornthwaite but the contact was not decisive enough for the referee although he later admitted the call should have gone the other way.

While Sydney were not at their best, these two calls could have made the difference between winning and losing.

The Perth vs Brisbane game also saw a highly controversial goal. Perth’s first goal was scored from an assist by Diego Castro although the ball clearly crossed the line, almost another ball length over in fact. Michael Theo saw the error and immediately ran to the sideline to protest but his calls were waived away.

A correct decision here may have meant Brisbane ran away with a win, securing third spot for another week. The call means however, that Brisbane now sit 4th, just two points above Perth.