Adam Le Fondre scored twice as Sydney FC fired a warning to the rest of the A-League top-six challengers with a 4-1 win over Adelaide United.

The Reds could have drawn level with Sydney in second place in the table with a victory but were firmly out of the contest even before Jordan Elsey was sent off with 63 minutes played.

Le Fondre's superb header from Rhyan Grant's cross put the visitors ahead at Coopers Stadium after just six minutes, and the experienced striker spurned a good chance for a second before the break.

Stefan Mauk hit the post for Adelaide early in the second half and Le Fondre compounded their frustrations two minutes later, burying his second after James Delianov had denied Kosta Barbarouses.

Le Fondre then turned provider, crossing low from the right to present Bobo with a simple finish, the goal given after a VAR review saw an initial offside call correctly overturned.

Elsey, who was arguably fortunate to receive only a yellow card for a two-footed tackle on Bobo in the first half, earned his second booking when he brought down Anthony Caceres.

Teenager Patrick Wood scored a minute after coming off the bench after a positive run, with Yaya Dukuly's first A-League goal at the end of a slick move providing little consolation to Adelaide, who saw an eight-game home unbeaten run come to an end.

Sydney are now four points behind leaders Melbourne City, having played a game more.

Melbourne Victory claimed just their fifth win of the A-League season in stunning fashion on Friday, thrashing Western United 6-1 at AAMI Park.

Elvis Kamsoba scored twice as the visitors recorded a first triumph against their opponents at the sixth attempt, having drawn 0-0 in the previous meeting.

However, United came into the fixture having lost five on the spin, including failing to score in the past four outings.

They did manage a goal this time, albeit a penalty from captain Alessandro Diamanti in first-half stoppage time was the only highlight in a fixture played without a crowd due to seven-day lockdown in Victoria.

Jake Brimmer opened the scoring in the 12th minute, with Rudy Gestede doubling the lead. After setting up Kambosa to score, Ben Folami was also on target as Melbourne went in at the break 4-1 up.

Kambosa added another five minutes into the second half, the away team seizing on a loose pass as the scorer exchanged passes with Callum McManaman before firing beyond goalkeeper Ryan Scott.

Jacob Butterfield completed the rout in the 82nd minute, the midfielder's left-footed drive finding the net to cap a resounding result for Melbourne’s stand-in boss Steve Kean.

Central Coast Mariners fought back impressively to earn a 2-1 win at Macarthur on Thursday, a result that moves them up to third in the A-League standings.

Sixth-placed Macarthur went in front at Campbelltown Stadium when Markel Susaeta raced onto a chipped pass before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Mark Birighitti.

However, the Spaniard’s fourth goal of the campaign – coming from the first attempt on target by either team – only sparked the Mariners into life.

They were level before half-time thanks to Jack Clisby, who grabbed his first A-League goal since February 2020 when firing a left-footed shot in from a tight angle.

The defender was denied a second by a VAR check, replays showing him narrowly offside to rule out an effort similar to his equaliser.

Daniel De Silva did put Central Coast ahead in the 55th minute, delightfully curling a right-footed attempt beyond goalkeeper Adam Federici from just outside the penalty area.

Macarthur were unbeaten in their previous nine outings this season in which they had scored first yet were unable to find a way back into the contest.

The home team had eight attempts after the interval but just two were on target, the defeat leaving them looking over their shoulders in the race to qualify for the A-League Finals.

Wellington Phoenix boosted their A-League Finals hopes by extending their unbeaten run to nine matches with an entertaining 2-1 win at Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Phoenix are now up to seventh in the table, two points outside the top six, after preying on the Wanderers' weaknesses at Bankwest Stadium.

Wellington targeted their hosts at set-piece situations throughout, with Dylan McGowan failing to effectively deal with Steven Taylor, ever a nuisance on the goalkeeper's toes.

Daniel Margush was impeded after 24 minutes as Graham Dorrans headed against his own crossbar from a corner and David Ball touched in the rebound.

The Wanderers were level just four minutes later, though, when Keanu Baccus' shot from the edge of the area escaped the clutches of Oliver Sail.

That goal was awarded despite the offside McGowan hopping out of the way of the attempt, but the home captain was soon obstructing team-mate Margush as Tomer Hemed powered in a close-range header.

That was the 10th headed goal Western Sydney have conceded this season, and coach Carl Robinson complained to FOX Sports at half-time: "I can't head the ball for them."

He would have been dismayed to see the Phoenix win three corners within three minutes of the restart, but the Wanderers dug in.

They responded, too, with a 19-shot second-half onslaught, only for Sail and his back line to just about hold out and protect a precious away win.

Jay O'Shea scored two penalties as Brisbane Roar cruised past A-League premiers Melbourne City 3-0 on Tuesday. 

Melbourne made a host of changes to their starting XI after lifting the Premiers Plate on Saturday and they were comfortably beaten at Moreton Daily Stadium. 

O'Shea put the hosts ahead after just six minutes, tucking home from the spot after Daniel Georgievski had brought down Alex Parsons in the penalty area. 

Parsons then added a second seven minutes before the interval with a low strike that flew past stand-in goalkeeper Matthew Sutton. 

O'Shea rounded off the scoring seven minutes after the restart, again firing home from the spot after Alec Mills had fouled Jesse Daley in the area to cap a win that moved Brisbane up to fourth in the table.

Jay O'Shea scored two penalties as Brisbane Roar cruised past A-League premiers Melbourne Victory 3-0 on Tuesday. 

Melbourne made a host of changes to their starting XI after lifting the Premiers Plate on Saturday and they were comfortably beaten at Moreton Daily Stadium. 

O'Shea put the hosts ahead after just six minutes, tucking home from the spot after Daniel Georgievski had brought down Alex Parsons in the penalty area. 

Parsons then added a second seven minutes before the interval with a low strike that flew past stand-in goalkeeper Matthew Sutton. 

O'Shea rounded off the scoring seven minutes after the restart, again firing home from the spot after Alec Mills had fouled Jesse Daley in the area to cap a win that moved Brisbane up to fourth in the table.

Bobo got the only goal as Sydney FC ended a derby drought in their rivalry with Western Sydney Wanderers, whose hopes of reaching the A-League Finals suffered a major blow.

The 1-0 win for Sydney FC at the SCG extended their 100 per cent record – now three wins from three – in games played at the world-famous cricket ground.

Brazilian Bobo and Western Sydney's Bruce Kamau had goals disallowed before the game's decisive moment arrived in the 62nd minute, Milos Ninkovic's dinked cross from the left deftly headed into the bottom right corner by Sydney's prolific striker.

It gave Bobo a 10th goal in 19 A-League appearances this season and his fifth goal in games between the Sky Blues and Western Sydney. Only Alex Brosque (six) has scored more goals in the history of the rivalry.

The neat finish also allowed Sydney to end their six-game winless run against Western Sydney (L3 D3), with their most recent previous victory having come in December 2018.

Sydney sit second in the table, with Melbourne City having already secured the Premiers Plate, but the race is on for post-season places and Western Sydney are in danger of missing out. Needing a top-six finish, they sit ninth with three games remaining, three points adrift of sixth-placed Brisbane Roar, who have a game in hand.

Adelaide United nudged up to third position with a 1-0 win over lowly Melbourne Victory, with Craig Goodwin scoring in the 39th minute, securing a seventh win for the Reds in the last eight league meetings between the sides.

Perth Glory's Finals hopes were hit by a 1-1 draw against fifth-placed Macarthur. 

Diego Castro put hosts Perth ahead in the 13th minute from the penalty spot after Andy Keogh was impeded, but Matt Derbyshire levelled on the half-hour mark, plundering his 14th goal of the campaign from close range.

Melbourne City celebrated their first A-League silverware as a narrow 1-0 triumph over Central Coast Mariners secured the Premiers Plate amid a dramatic finish at AAMI Park.

Craig Noone's headed effort just shy of the hour was enough to earn City the three points and the trophy with three games to spare, but only after enduring a tense finale.

City thought the points were wrapped up when Jamie Maclaren netted with three minutes to play, only for the hosts' striker to be denied when a VAR check found he had handballed in the build-up when tussling with Kye Rowles.

The Mariners then thought they had a chance to snatch a point in injury time when goalkeeper Mark Birighitti - up at a late corner - won the visitors a penalty.

But once again, VAR intervened with referee Shaun Evans reversing his original call after checking the pitchside monitor, to leave the home fans breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating the confirmation City will finish top at the end of the regular season.

Elsewhere, Wellington Phoenix dazzled on their New Zealand homecoming in a 3-0 win over Western United that keeps them on the coattails of the A-League's top six.

It had been 433 days since Phoenix had played a home fixture at Sky Stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic and a bumper crowd of 24,105 was not disappointed.

Clayton Lewis's deflected 38th-minute opener had Wellington in front at the break and two goals in the space of six second-half minutes from Reno Piscopo and Tomer Hemed had the patient crowd celebrating a comfortable win.

While having the fans back in attendance was a victory itself, the win means Phoenix are just three points shy of Brisbane Roar in sixth with three games to play before the A-League Finals.

Adelaide United boosted their hopes of progressing straight through to the A-League semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar.

Craig Goodwin's 23rd-minute strike was the difference between the two sides, with victory leaving Adelaide a point behind Central Coast Mariners in the race for second place.

The Roar had a golden chance to level from the penalty spot six minutes before half-time, but Joseph Champness' effort was kept out by a low save from James Delianov after Ryan Kitto handled in the area.

Sydney FC and Macarthur are level with Adelaide on 35 points as the season nears an exciting climax.

Brisbane remain in sixth, the final quarter-final place, despite their defeat as seventh-placed Western Sydney Wanderers were thumped 5-1 by Perth Glory.

The Glory prevailed thanks to a masterclass from Andy Keogh, who scored four goals for Perth to move them three points behind Brisbane. Joel Chianese rounded out the win deep into injury time.

The day's other game saw Wellington Phoenix go within three points of the Roar as they held league leaders Melbourne City to a 2-2 draw.

Jamie Maclaren's free-kick nine minutes from time put City 2-1 ahead to seemingly secure maximum points, only for Tomer Hemed's second in the 88th minute to ensure a share of the spoils.

Central Coast Mariners and Sydney both recorded slender away victories over Newcastle Jets and Western United respectively in Saturday's A-League action.

Sydney briefly moved up to second in the table after an Adam Le Fondre penalty – his first goal since returning to the club - secured them a 1-0 triumph on their visit to Mars Stadium.

Referee Shaun Evans deemed Ivan Vujica had handled inside the penalty area and pointed to the spot, the official confirming his initial decision after a lengthy VAR check.

United goalkeeper Ryan Scott had kept Sydney at bay up until that point but was unable to deny Le Fondre, who is back after a spell with Mumbai City in India.

However, Central Coast leapfrogged back over Sydney in the standings thanks to a 1-0 win of their own in the late kick-off.

A penalty settled the game at McDonald Jones Stadium too, Matt Simon on target in the 54th minute as the Mariners recorded back-to-back wins over the Jets for the first time since October 2014.

Simon has now scored nine A-League goals against Newcastle - only against Melbourne Victory (10) has he managed more in his career.

Matt Derbyshire bagged a brace as Macarthur climbed up to second in the A-League with a 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory.

Veteran striker Derbyshire seized upon a slack pass to dink home a cheeky finish in the fourth minute – the earliest goal by any Macarthur player in the A-League.

The hosts were indebted to a magnificent point-blank save by Adam Federici from Rudy Gestede that preserved their lead – an advantage that was doubled in the 39th minute when wing-back James Meredith headed home Jake McGing's cross to crown a fine team move.

Elvis Kamsoba reduced the deficit for second-bottom Victory after substitute Lleyton Brooks sprung the offside trap and his shot came back off the post.

But Derbyshire was played in by Michael Ruhs to coolly slot home his 13th goal of the season, strengthening Macarthur's grip on a finals berth and moving them nine points behind runaway leaders Melbourne City.

Jamie Maclaren became Melbourne City's record scorer as his double sealed a 4-1 win for the A-League leaders over faltering Adelaide United.

The Australia international went past Bruno Fornaroli by reaching 58 goals for Melbourne, who extended their lead to 11 points at the top of the table.

Maclaren's late penalty and close-range finish followed earlier strikes from Scott Jamieson and Scott Galloway, with Ben Halloran fleetingly giving the visitors to AAMI Park some hope early in the second half.

Adelaide, though, are now without a win in five games and missed a chance here to move second in the table.

Jamieson marked his 100th appearance for Melbourne with a goal against one of his former clubs, making the breakthrough after eight minutes when his 22-yard strike deflected past James Delianov.

Galloway then capitalised on a clever corner routine just before the break, charging into the penalty area and rapping a fierce left-footed shot across goal and into the bottom-right corner.

Halloran netted from a tight angle early in the second half to trim the lead, but Melbourne were awarded a penalty in the 71st minute after Stefan Colakovski was scythed down by Joshua Cavallo.

Maclaren cracked the spot-kick into the left corner, before sealing the victory and the club record in the 82nd minute when he slotted in from Marco Tilio's low centre, delivered from the left.

Bruno Fornaroli scored a free-kick as Perth Glory earned a key 3-0 home win over Western United as they continued to emerge from their A-League slump.

After going six straight matches without a win, Perth have now won two in a row to keep their Finals hopes alive.

Fornaroli put them ahead on Wednesday with an early free-kick into the top corner before Chris Ikonomidis scored his third goal in as many league matches.

Substitute Joel Chianese wrapped up the points with a fine finish 13 minutes from time, to leave Western floundering given they lost 5-0 to Western Sydney Wanderers last time out.

Perth's win, though, may have been fortunate as they scored three times while only registering an xG of 0.5 compared to 0.8 for the visitors.

Second-placed Central Coast Mariners racked up 20 attempts on goal but were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at Brisbane Roar, who are sixth, six points ahead of Perth in 10th.

Joey Champness hit the crossbar for Brisbane, while Central Coast thought they had won it when Oliver Bozanic chipped goalkeeper Jamie Young in stoppage time, only to be denied by the woodwork.

Alen Stajcic's side are one point clear of Sydney FC, Adelaide United and Macarthur in a tight table, though leaders Melbourne City are eight points clear of them at the summit.

Melbourne City moved nine points clear at the top of the A-League after a battling 3-2 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday.

Des Buckingham's side were 2-0 up after only 17 minutes, Connor Metcalfe blasting past goalkeeper Jamie Young before Scott Jamieson doubled the lead via Brisbane's Kai Trewin.

The visitors, who felt a handball should have been given against Craig Noone in the build-up, responded impressively to draw level before half-time through a fine Joey Champness strike and a Macaulay Gillesphey header.

City, who fired in 33 shots across the 90 minutes, failed to capitalise on their chances until some brilliance from Scott Galloway, the full-back's superb run sending him into the box where he hooked a clever finish into the left-hand corner after his cross had been blocked.

City are nine points clear of the chasing pack, with Sydney FC, Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners and Macarthur all on 32 points.

In the later match, Perth Glory beat Melbourne Victory 2-1 at HBF Park to move seven points clear of the bottom two and keep their top-six hopes alive.

Robbie Kruse missed a first-half penalty for the visitors, who were given an uphill task when Nicholas Ansell was sent off 48 minutes in for a crude challenge on Callum Timmins.

Diego Castro combined well with Ciaran Bramwell to set up Bruno Fornaroli to open the scoring, with Chris Ikonomidis volleying home the second. Rudy Gestede grabbed a consolation for Victory after Kruse hit the crossbar.

Perth are nine points adrift of Western Sydney Wanderers in sixth but have two games in hand.

James Troisi had a hand in four goals as Western Sydney Wanderers thrashed Western United 5-0 in the A-League on Saturday.

The Australia international opened the scoring with a thumping strike into the top corner and added two assists as well as forcing an own goal from Western United substitute Dylan Pierias.

Troisi created goals for Ziggy Gordon and Bruce Kamau either side of half-time before Pierias' own goal and a last-minute effort from Bernie Ibini rounded out the scoring.

The result puts Western Sydney up to sixth in the table, just one point off second place in a tightly packed group of sides pursuing spots in the Finals.

Defending champions Sydney FC are the side sitting at the front of that pack in second position after they struggled to a 1-1 draw away at bottom club Newcastle Jets.

A penalty from Roy O'Donovan after 59 minutes gave Jets hope of a famous victory.

But they were denied by a bizarre own goal 14 minutes from time as an attempted clearance from Connor O'Toole struck the chest of Nigel Boogaard and bounced in.

Valentino Yuel missed a big late chance to recapture the lead, the result meaning Newcastle have gone 12 matches without a victory and are a point behind Melbourne Victory.

Sydney, who only got four of their 19 attempts on target, have won just one of their last six matches in the competition.