A superb, and controversial, brace from substitute David Carney saw Sydney FC come from behind to defeat Melbourne Victory 2-1 at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Victory came out of the blocks the stronger of the two sides and should have found the lead in the 13th minute when Mitch Austin found Marco Rojas with a cross, the Kiwi shooting wide with only Danny Vukovic to beat.
Victory had a gilt edged chance to go ahead Besart Berisha was fouled by Fillipe Holosko in the box, referee Chris Beath pointing straight to the spot in the 24th minute.
Berisha took charge of the resulting penalty but blazed his effort well over the crossbar, much to the delight of the home fans and players.
Kevin Muscat’s side would finally take the lead late in the first half thanks to some calamitous defending from Sydney.
The Sydney defence, thinking a through ball would run out of play, completely switched off allowing Rojas to cut the ball back to Austin who made no mistake with the easiest of finishes.
The second half saw the game take on a different complexion with Sydney dominating most of the play and chances.
Graham Arnold’s side would level the scores in the 63rd minute under controversial circumstances.
Substitute David Carney was the goalscorer, producing a fine strike to beat Lawrence Thomas. However, replays showed the Sydney winger controlled the ball with his arm in the lead-up to the goal, much to the chagrin of the Victory defenders.
63' Goal to @SydneyFC. Substitute David Carney pokes the ball home to level proceedings. A handy goal for the hosts #SYDvMVC 1-1 #ALeague pic.twitter.com/Y2hZ9A41c8
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) November 5, 2016
Carney would compound Victory’s misery in the 78th minute when he produced a composed finish give Sydney a deserved late lead.
Victory threw numbers forward late in hope of a late equaliser but Sydney held firm to hold onto a come from behind win in a tense and tight Big Blue.
The Peak:
It was hard fought, spiteful, physical, everything we have come to expect from the bitterest of A-League rivals. Even the furniture got in on the act when Michael Zullo came crashing into the fourth assistant’s table in the early stages of the second half.
46' Ouch. The table lucky to escape a booking for that… #SYDvMVC 0-1 #ALeague pic.twitter.com/Dm6qMbiveV
— Melbourne Victory (@gomvfc) November 5, 2016
For everything the game lacked for in terms of quality, it was more than made up for by the tenacity and fierce nature of the contest itself. Sydney now lead the A-League ladder and a win like this only confirms its title aspirations.
The Trough:
Berisha’s miss from the penalty spot was almost unbelievable, especially when one casts their mind back the two penalties he scored against Wellington Phoenix midweek.
Berisha has certainly created his fair share of drama during his A-League career, and no doubt annoyed many a defender in doing so. However, the reaction of Sydney players to his penalty miss wasn’t a great look for the game, even if it did add to the theatre of a fierce contest.
The Game Breaker:
Impossible to go past David Carney. The former Socceroo made an almost immediate impact on the game when he scored his first to level the scores, albeit under dubious circumstances.
There were no questions about his second goal, starting and finishing the move that lead to Sydney’s match winning goal.
What We Learned:
Sydney FC should be considered as the early title favourites. Their depth is second to none and their second half showing against Victory was ominous.
For Victory, the loss would be softened by the knowledge that the side seems to have steadied the ship after consecutive losses to Melbourne City earlier in the year.
With Carl Valeri set to return and Max Beister to be unleashed once he attains match fitness, competition for starting spots will increase at Victory which will only aid its on-field performances.