The Western Sydney Wanderers Isuzu UTE A-League team have shot into the top four thanks to a 4-1 win over Perth Glory at CommBank Stadium tonight.
Despite conceding first, they quickly took control of the game and were deserved and dominant victors in Parramatta, winning their third game in a row and extending their unbeaten run to four games.
Other results in the weekend meant the Wanderers had fallen out of the Top Six by the time they kicked off on Sunday afternoon and began strongly by almost scoring after just two minutes.
Brandon Borrello did well to get in behind the Glory defence, squaring the ball to Zac Sapsford who thought his touch of the ball would result in a goal. However, Josh Risdon stuck a leg out and somehow kept the ball from going over the line; it would be an important moment as minutes later Perth took the lead after Adam Taggart’s close range finish from a Lachie Wales delivery.
Far from denting the confidence of the Wanderers, it further sparked them into action as Sapsford had two good chances to equalise, one of which was saved by Oli Sail, and the other went just over the bar. The pressure told in the end as Aydan Hammond scored a brilliant equaliser in the 13th minute.
The Glory failed to clear a corner, and the ball fell to the winger, and with time and space he lashed a powerful drive into the top corner, leaving Sail rooted to the spot. He had his second just before the break, though this one was more of a poacher’s effort. Borrello started a swift counterattack which led to Bozhidar Kraev heading a Sapsford cross off the bar, but Hammond was in the right place at the right time to tap home into an empty net.
Whilst the game was still in the balance coming out of the break, the Wanderers then took control of the contest just after half time, with their two midfielders being the unlikely combination for the third goal.
The Wanderers’ high press caught the Glory playing out from the back, as a Josh Brillante tackle fell straight to the feet of his midfield partner Oscar Priestman. He had the time and space to take a touch, turn, and easily dispatch his effort past a helpless Sail to give the Wanderers a two-goal buffer and to help light up the atmosphere at CommBank Stadium.
Sapsford and Borrello then had half chances, before Kraev’s header from a corner went wide of the mark, it wouldn’t take him long to make amends.
Borrello started yet another blistering counterattack, and Kraev was able to get on the end of a wonderful, sweeping Sapsford pass, and he easily placed it into the far corner beyond Sail.
Alen Stajcic rotated in the last 15 minutes, giving new signing Alex Gersbach some more minutes at left back, whilst also giving Juan Mata another cameo in his recovery from injury, with the Spaniard having a lot of good touches and passes.
Hammond was denied a hat-trick by a good Sail save, and Gersbach almost scored a wonderful first goal for the club, but his volley cannoned off the top of the crossbar.
It was still a wonderful day for the Red and Black, as they moved into fourth spot and now have the best attack in the league with 43 goals in 19 games.
They have a week off due to a bye round, before a massive home match against the Melbourne Victory on March 15 2025.
