A first-half brace from Eugene Dadi has given Perth's finals chances a shot in the arm as an undermanned Glory stunned the Melbourne Victory 3-1 at Members Equity Stadium on Saturday evening.

Dadi scored his first with a shot that bounced in off the crossbar in the 18th minute before drilling his second four minutes later after showing some great control in the box.

The Glory could have extended the lead before half-time but narrowly missed several chances, allowing the Victory to pull one back through Ney Fabiano ten minutes after the break.

But despite pressuring the Glory goal with a series of corners and numerous attacks, the Victory couldn't score an equaliser and Adriano Pellegrino hit the Victorians with a spectacular 78th-minute strike that finished off the contest.

The victory was made all the sweeter as the Glory were without star striker Nikita Rukavytsya, who failed a late fitness test on his calf.

But the Victory also suffered their own major injury setback when Archie Thompson failed to line up in the starting XI after injuring himself in the warm-up, his place taken by Fabiano.

The result sees Melbourne remain in second place on the Hyundai A-League table after Adelaide leapfrogged it into top spot through its 6-1 thrashing of Wellington. The Glory, though, have moved to seventh and now find themselves just four points adrift of fourth position with seven rounds to play.

The Victory started like a rocket as they looked to atone for last weekend's 2-1 loss to Wellington. The visitors looked particularly sharp as they passed the ball around with ease and it appeared just a matter of time before the Glory conceded as Danny Allsopp saw a half chance pushed around the post by Tando Velaphi.

But despite Rukavytsya's absence, the Glory showed they were still dangerous when a powerful volleyed effort from Adrian Trinidad flashed past the post with Theoklitos well beaten.

In the 18th minute, the Glory stunned the visitors, taking the lead through a contentious goal by Dadi.

A glancing header from Dadi in midfield allowed Scott Bulloch to accelerate forward but his cross to Trinidad was too heavy, forcing the Argentine to jink his way back into the box and cross back to Dadi, whose powerful effort hit the underside of the crossbar and crossed the line.

The Glory were suddenly full of fire as Pellegrino's powerful effort from the right forced Michael Theoklitos into a save before the hosts doubled the advantage in the 24th minute.

Under pressure in the middle of the box, Dadi showed deft skills as he controlled Pellegrino's corner and slipped the ball past Theoklitos for the second, earning a yellow card from referee Peter Green for ripping his shirt off as he saluted the shed.

The Victory weren't helped in their efforts by some poor disposal as they struggled for cohesion after the Glory's goals. Billy Celeski twice sent corners out of play before blasting a free kick on the edge of the box miles into the crowd.

Five minutes before the break, the Victory almost pulled one back when Allsopp's cross set up Tom Pondeljak, but the former Mariner sent his toe-poke over the bar from three metres.

In injury time the Glory came within a whisker of adding a third when defender Dino Djulbic collided with Theoklitos as he sent a header narrowly past the post.

The hosts were struggling with injuries, with Wayne Srhoj dislocating his shoulder in an innocuous challenge but playing on after popping it back in, while Trinidad took several knocks on his ankle and was substituted for Naum Sekulovski early in the second half.

The Victory appeared a more settled unit after the break and their class showed in the 55th minute when Fabiano drew one back for the visitors.

Jimmy Downey and Jamie Harnwell failed to clear effectively on the left and Fabiano used his pace and power to bustle through their challenges before advancing on goal and shooting under Velaphi.

The goal prompted Victory coach Ernie Merrick to bring on the creative Nick Ward and Carlos Hernandez for Michael Thwaite and Fabiano respectively, with the introduction of Hernandez sparking a dominant period from the Victorians as the Glory were forced to soak up mountains of pressure.

Ward fresh aired the ball in the box with the goal at his mercy while Rody Vargas sent a 74th minute header over the bar from a Hernandez free kick as Melbourne attacked the Glory's goal with a series of corners.

But the Victory's attacking intent left them vulnerable on the counter and in the 78th minute Pellegrino made them pay. The right winger took the ball from a throw in and worked his way into the area, playing a slick one-two with Dadi and burying a spectacular 20-metre strike with his non-preferred left foot.

Match Details
Perth Glory 3 (Dadi 19, 23, Pellegrino 79)
Melbourne Victory 1 (Fabiano 55)
Members Equity Stadium
Saturday 6 December 2008
Referee: Peter Green