Western Sydney Wanderers kept their unbeaten start to the A-League Men season alive with a 2-0 defeat of Newcastle Jets that confirm signs are good in Marko Rudan’s first full season at the helm.
The Wanderers have missed the finals every year since 2016-17 but now move to the top of the ladder – Melbourne City do not play until Sunday – with three wins from their first four games following Friday night’s triumph at CommBank Stadium.
Frenchman Romain Amalfitano scored his first goal for the Wanderers, while Brandon Borrello bagged his first Isuzu UTE A-League strike since 2017 after time away in Germany.
Western Sydney have kept clean sheets in all of their victories and Rudan will be pleased his new-look side had enough defensive resolve to repel the Jets’ usually efficient attack.
The loss was Newcastle’s first of the season and means that in five outings, they have yet to taste victory against the Wanderers at CommBank Stadium.
Both teams lacked polish in the front third during a tense and physical first half.
Tempers threatened to boil over at a 32nd-minute corner when captains Marcelo and Matthew Jurman came together and exchanged words.
The Wanderers had the better of early chances, hitting the post twice before the half was out.
Borrello pounced on an errant Angus Thurgate pass but struck the crossbar with his strike, before Calem Nieuwenhof thundered the ball into the upright at close range minutes later.
It was third time’s a charm for the home side as Amalfitano took advantage of the wrong-footed Jets goalkeeper Michael Weier after Niuewenhof’s near-miss.
It took 44 minutes but the Wanderers had finally broken the deadlock to maintain their knack for opening the scoring this season.
Borrello was rewarded for a busy first half when he bent the ball into the net with a beautiful left-foot strike that extend the Wanderers’ lead in the 51st minute.
Reno Piscopo could have had the Jets back within a goal just before the hour mark but was denied by a superb save from goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas.
The Wanderers’ comfortable lead gave them the confidence to attack more expansively but the score remained 2-0 to the final whistle.
