A brilliant performance from Adelaide goalkeeper Annalee Grove has helped the Reds seal their second win of the Liberty A-League season, defeating Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 at Wanderers Football Park.
The away side flew out of the blocks and took the lead after just 90 seconds through midfielder Dylan Holmes.
The Wanderers should have been level soon after but Maliah Morris was unable to hit the target from inside the box, steering her effort wide of the far post after latching on to Sophie Harding’s well-timed cut-back.
Having regained possession inside the Wanderers’ defensive third, midfielder Nanako Sasaki threaded a beautiful ball through a gap in the home side’s defence before Holmes cooly slotted the ball beyond Wanderers keeper Kaylie Collins.
Harding then headed narrowly over in the 24th minute before the Wanderers striker put one on a plate for teammate Danika Matos, however the midfielder couldn’t beat Adelaide keeper Annalee Grove when one-on-one.
Seemingly the team in the ascendency, the Wanderers then had two chances to equalise inside the first five minutes of the second-half.
First, Holly Caspers saw her looping header drop the other side of the crossbar from an early second-half corner while American forward Maliah Morris then couldn’t convert from inside the box after yet more good work from strike partner Sophie Harding.
Adelaide then had goalkeeper Annalee Grove to thank once again, this time denying Holly Caspers with a superb save, standing tall to thwart the Wanderers attacker when one-on-one after she was put through on goal by Sophie Harding.
Seemingly not happy to just sit in and defend their lead Adelaide continued to push for a second and substitute Emily Condon went close, but her right-footed effort curled narrowly wide of the far post.
The away side were then forced to defend for their lives for the remaining five minutes of the contest after central defender Ella Tonkin was sent off, receiving a second yellow card for bringing down Wanderers sub India Breier.
The Wanderers continued to push for a late leveller but once again couldn’t find a way past Adelaide keeper Annalee Grove who produced a fantastic save to deny in-form striker Sophie Harding in the 93rd minute.
Adelaide held firm to secure back-to-back wins in the Liberty A-League for the first time this season and their first clean sheet in the competition in over a year.
