Despite both sides engaging in a back and forth battle, neither were able to truly create chances that one could have claimed to have been gilt-edged throughout the contest, two well-credentialed defences doing their jobs well.

Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren was unable to convert a number of chances that, on another day, he may have converted while Glory had a penalty decision waved away by VAR intervention in the second half.

Ultimately, the individual most happy with Saturday evening’s result likely wasn’t even in the stadium.

Wherever he was watching from, Steve Corica would have had a big grin on his face knowing that the splitting of the spoils at AAMI Park ensures that Sydney FC will enter round 17 with a ten-point gap between themselves and their nearest rivals.

Looking to close that gap, City will next week travel to face Adelaide United before returning to Melbourne the following week for the third and final Melbourne Derby of the season.

Perth will head back across the Nullarbor and commence a three-game homestand – facing Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix in the next two A-League rounds and then opening their 2020 Asian Champions League campaign against Shanghai Shenhua.

Florin Berenguer tested Liam Reddy in just the second minute of Saturday evening’s contest with a speculative, but ultimately tame effort from range in the 2nd minute, before the veteran keeper was called into action to save a meekly taken Maclaren effort in the fourth minute after Soobeom Kim knocked down a Craig Noone shot.  

A pinpoint ball forward from Curtis Good augured City’s next attack in the 13th minute. Berenguer knocking down the pass to Jamie Maclaren and the Socceroos striker then laying it off for Adrian Luna to let loose with an effort that forced Reddy to acrobatically leap to tip it over the bar.

Nonetheless, while City were well and truly in control of the game early doors, they were unable to do anything with it and, concerningly for them, Perth began to show signs of life.

A half chanced arrived in the 33rd minute when a corner in from Neil Kilkenny put wide off the head of Bruno Fornaroli after the Uruguayan won the ball in a crowd, before Castrol drilled an effort straight at Dean Bouzanis after being picked out by a Joel Chianese backheel inside the box in the 40th.

Brief, bizarre scenes arose as the game ticked into injury time when Reddy sat on the ball for a seeming age – with no City player willing to press him – but it ended up being a brief, but bizarre, distraction before the teams headed to the rooms locked at 0-0.

Though City had a brief five-minute period domination to begin the second stanza, the game quickly returned to an arm wrestle.

Glory thought they had a penalty won in the 55th minute when a calamitous series of coming togethers in the penalty area following a corner eventually saw Josh Brilliante bring down Fornaroli at the back post.

Referee Daniel Elder was quick to point to the spot and award a penalty, only for the VAR to intervene and wave the decision off after Fornaroli was determined to be offside in the build-up.

City attempted to answer back with a sweetly built move in the 65th minute that ended up with a Luna cross into Maclaren, but the 26-year-old could only send his resulting headed effort wide. A long-range effort from Brilliante sailed over the bar a minute later.

The game beginning to pen up, Fornaroli turned and drove a shot in on goal in the 67th minute to force a save from Bouzanis and the resulting corner in from Kilkenny was almost inadvertently turned in by Good as he challenged intended target Mrcela.

Meredith brought down Noone to provide City with a free kick in a dangerous area in the 70th minute, an effort that Luna proved just unable to curl into the top corner of the net.

With time winding down, City was beginning to slightly shade the contest once again, with a free-kick floated in from the wing by Berenguer headed over the bar by Delbridge in the 82nd and a long-range effort driven in from range by Scott Jamieson in the 85th rising over the bar.

City start brightly but can’t get the win.

Mombaerts had spoken during the week about how his side needed to start brightly against the visitors and the opening stages of the game showed that his sentiments had not just been idle talk.  

A number of early chances were created by the Frenchman’s side, with Reddy’s spectacular save in the 13th minute denying a chance that, on most days, would have found the back of the net.

Unfortunately for the home fans in attendance, the defensive steel that Glory under Popovic are so renewed for began to show as the opening 45 progressed.

Clear and incisive chance began to dry up and long balls forward became increasingly common – a tactic not inclined to work against a towering Glory defence featuring Tomislav Mrcela, Alex Grant and Gregory Wuthrich.

The game then descending into an arm wrestle after about the half an hour mark, City continued to create chances but couldn’t make them count and were eventually forced to settle for just a point.

“I think maybe in play we had better chances than Perth,” Erick Mombaerts said post-game.

“I want to congratulate our team on our defensive performance, we were very strong.

“It was a very tough game, two good teams. We had to adapt with not only a new style but two new players. They played for the first time.

“We can improve. We can do better with these two players. We can find better opportunities in the build-up and combine movement.

Of course, it must be acknowledged that it could have been a lot worse for City; their mental struggles in the past often seeing games such as Saturday night’s ending in defeat.

Their final substitutions in the dying stages, bringing on the defensively-minded Rostyn Griffiths and Scott Galloway, indicated that they were likely very happy to get out of AAMI Park without the defeat.

“It was just because we don’t have too many options at midfield,” Mombaerts said on the change.

“We have Connor away and we don’t have too many options to change. Our other midfielder was tired, so we had to change.”

One streak ends, but another continues

Glory entered Saturday evening’s contest riding a wave of momentum; a slow start to the season long forgotten in the wake of Popovic’s side rattling off a club-record six straight wins ahead of the round 16.

It was the longest winning streak the A-League had witnessed since Sydney FC fired off seven wins on the bounce during the 2017/18 season.

Though that streak has now come to end, the visitors were still able to make a long away trip to face the A-League’s second-placed side and come away with a point that keeps them a point clear of fourth-placed Wellington Phoenix with a game in hand.

They have now also gone almost seven hours without conceding a goal and an undefeated streak can now begin.

“We’re happy,” Popovic said post-game.

“Of course we’re happy. We’re away from home, we’ve had two consecutive tough games. We’re playing a team that’s expected to be up there. It’s very good.

“I couldn’t see [the penalty decision]. He gave a penalty and we were told it was for offside on Bruno but I didn’t get to see the replay. of it.

“It was a tough game, it was a big game for them as well and we saw they did a few things differently. We’re happy.

“Usually on one moment can make a difference, we almost had a penalty, some good moments in the box.”

New kids on the block

While his addition hadn’t demanded the headlines that Marco Rojas arrival at cross-town foes Melbourne Victory, Jack Hendry’s loan move from Celtic to City looks, going by first appearances, to have been a sharp bit of business.

Though City had cheekily attempted to hint that they were set to line up with a back five ahead of the contest, Hendry’s debut instead led a reshuffle in the backline that saw Harrison Delbridge move out to the right-back position and the Scot take up a place in the centre next to Good.

Handed his first start after a brief cameo against Newcastle Jets the week prior, Markel Susaeta showed flashes of the skills that had helped him forge a long and successful career with Athletic Bilbao in La Liga without every truly stamping his authority during the 73 minutes he received before being replaced by Nathaniel Atkinson.

Despite most signs being to the contrary, City has been insistent in recent weeks that the race for the Premier’s Plate is not a fait accompli, citing the length of the season to go and Sydney FC’s upcoming Asian Champions League campaign as reasons to keep the Sky Blue champaign on ice.

If they are to put their words into action they will likely need Hendry and Susaeta to fire.

Though it is an incredibly small sample size, Saturday showed they have the potential to, at the very least, contribute.