It was a weekend full of goals in the A-League, with 19 of them scored in just five games and only one match ending with a goalless draw.

Perth Glory continue to occupy the top of the table despite the absence of key striker Chris Ikonomidis, as they were able to turn around the advantage that Adam Taggart’s two goals gave the Roar thanks to two successfully converted penalty kicks by Neil Kilkenny and another two goals late in the game by Andy Keogh and Aaron Reardon (own goal).

David Bowles received his marching orders on the 57th, leaving the home team with a huge disadvantage against Tony Popovic’s men who appeared to be in great form for yet another game.

Not giving them much room for error on the ladder are Melbourne Victory, who seem to be riding Ola Toivonen’s great form straight to the bank.

The Swedish international added another two goals to his tally and secured the three points for the “navy blues”, as Markus Babbel’s men remain troubled for yet another game, creating the chances but being unable to find the goals.

The “red and blacks” had equalised temporarily through an Alex Baumjohann penalty.

The latter team from Melbourne was also successful this weekend, although not as convincingly.

City had a lot of trouble against a Jets team that had been reduced to 10 men for the majority of the game, giving way too much space to their opponents and lacking the creativity to create any dangerous situation up front.

The Jets gained the advantage before even five minutes were up, thanks to a horrific error by Galekovic and a simple tap-in by O’Donovan.

However a penalty was awarded on the 25th minute when Rony Vargas controlled the ball with his hand inside the area, receiving his second yellow of the evening and leaving his team a man down.

Riley McGree didn’t make any mistakes from the spot and City equalised. They found a second through Luke Brattan just four minutes later, with the midfielder taunting the visiting fans who were chanting about his hair colour.

Sydney FC put on a solid display against the Mariners, in a game that had a total of seven goals and a red card. The visitors opened the score through Connor Pain, however Kalifa Cisse’s dangerous tackle on Alex Brosque meant his second yellow card within five minutes of play and early dismissal from the game.

What followed was an onslaught of Sydney FC goals, as they scored four in less than 20 minutes, with Brosque sealing a hat-trick.

Le Fondre and Calver also got their names on the score sheet, while O’Neill reduced the margin temporarily for the Mariners.

In Adelaide, a tough Wellington Phoenix side held on to get the point against United, with goalkeeper Filip Kurto making a marvellous performance.

Mark Rudan’s side was left with one player less after Mandi was sent off on the 68th but despite that fact still managed to walk away with the goalless draw.

The Phoenix will travel to Sydney to play against the Wanderers on Tuesday, while the remaining two games of round 12 will be held on Wednesday.

A-LEAGUE ROUND 11 RESULTS

  • Sydney FC – Central Coast Mariners 5-2 (49′, 58′, 64′ Brosque, 52′ pen. le Fondre, 90′ Calver – 17′ Pain, 66′ O’ Neill, 26 sent off Cisse)
  • Adelaide United – Wellington Phoenix 0-0 (68′ sent off Mandi)
  • Western Sydney Wanderers – Melbourne Victory 1-2 (74′ pen. Baumjohann – 45′, 86′ Toivonen)
  • Melbourne City – Newcastle Jets 2-1 (27′ pen. McGree, 32′ Brattan – 4′ O’ Donovan, 25′ sent off Vargas)
  • Brisbane Roar – Perth Glory 2-4 (22′, 40′ Taggart, 57′ sent off Bowles – 59′ pen. 81′ pen. Kilkenny, 85′ OG Reardon, 87′ Keogh)

ROUND 12 FIXTURES
Tuesday
7.50 pm Western Sydney Wanderers – Wellington Phoenix

Wednesday
Adelaide United – Melbourne Victory
Perth Glory – Sydney FC