Newcomer Macarthur takes the lead, Koutroumbis scores maiden goal for Western Sydney Wanderers

The A-League has a new leader and it is not one of the so-called giants, it is rather the newest side to the championship, Macarthur FC.

The Bulls managed to overcome the Mariners hurdle and, taking advantage of Victory’s surprise home loss to Perth, are sitting at the top of the ladder with seven points at the completion of round three.

It was a round that saw stars Jonathan Aspropotamitis and John Koutroumbis shine, with the Wanderers’ player scoring his first goal for his new club.

The much-anticipated appearance of Kosta Barbarouses did not materialise due to a late sickness for the Greek-New Zealander.

Arthur Papas’ Newcastle side handed Sydney their worst start to a season since 2010/11 after a massive comeback draw from 0-2 down.

Western Utd secured a massive away win against champions Melbourne City in what is the biggest upset thus far this season.

READ MORE: A Greek Affair highlights A-League’s 2nd round

Macarthur FC – Central Coast 1-0
In a match full of chances for both sides, it was Macarthur who came out on top, with goalkeeper Filip Kurto pulling off a man-of-the-match performance to hold on to the clean sheet.

Macarthur broke the deadlock in the 45+1st minute after a shot from captain Ulises Davilla deflected off the Mariners captain Oliver Bozanic and into the goal, proving the decisive moment in the match.

Melbourne Victory – Perth Glory 0-3
A red card at the end of the first half gave Perth the freedom they needed to end Victory’s unbeaten start on Sunday evening.

Perth broke the deadlock through a wonderful left foot strike from distance by midfielder Antonee Burke-Gilroy (66’) and they doubled their lead eight minutes later with a headed goal from forward Ciaran Joseph Bramwell.

Former Panathinaikos striker and Perth captain, Bruno Fornaroli, finished the match with the third (89’), the final nail in the coffin for Victory’s horrid evening.

Perth defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis played his part to help Glory keep a clean sheet.

Melbourne City – Western Utd 0-1
On Saturday evening, Western Utd pulled off a defensive masterclass to hand the current champions their first defeat this season.

The Green and Blacks stunned Melbourne in the 20th minute when a precise counter-attack saw striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls score his second goal in as many weeks.

The home side dominated possession but a resolute Western team secured the three points.

Western manager John Aloisi heaped praise on all of his players’ efforts, especially playmaker and captain Alessandro Diamanti.

“You saw Diamanti chasing, fighting, closing down. If he’s doing that, it just sets the tone for everyone else to do it,” Mr Aloisi said post-match.

Sydney FC – Newcastle Jets 2-2
A thrilling game Saturday night saw Sydney and Newcastle play out a Desmond with VAR controversy adding drama to the night’s proceedings.

Sydney dominated the first half, scoring twice through forwards Adam Le Fondre (8’ pen.) and Elvis Kamsoba (30’), the latter scoring his first A-League goal for his new side.

The second half switched the momentum as Newcastle’s Valentino Yuel bagged a brace with two great finishes in the 59th and 65th minute.

Sydney coach Steve Corica was disappointed with the officiating, especially with Le Fondre’s cancelled-out goal (77’) and the Jets’ second.

“It’s pretty frustrating with the third goal, it looks like it came off one of their players so he can’t be offside… The second goal for them, the ball was ten metres in front of where it was meant to be taken from and it was rolling,” said Mr Corica.

A late withdrawal was Kosta Barbarouses who Corica said was “supposed to start tonight but came down with gastro last night”.

Newcastle midfielder Kosta Grozos came on as a substitute in the 69th minute.

Brisbane Roar – Adelaide United 0-0
Saturday’s first match saw Brisbane finally earn a point this season after a tense stalemate with Adelaide Utd.

Chances were scarce, with Roar striker Luke Ivanovic closest to scoring when his two efforts from close range in the 53rd minute were saved tremendously by Adelaide keeper James Delianov.

The Reds will be bitterly disappointed with defender Javi Lopez’s late red card which will see him miss next week’s Original Rivalry clash against Melbourne Victory.

Wellington Phoenix– Western Sydney Wanderers 0-2
On Friday night, the Wanderers recorded their first away win in nearly nine months and ended Wellington’s unbeaten streak (13 matches), making Phoenix pay for failing to convert their possession and chances into goals.

The Red and Black’s first goal came from former Nix striker Tomer Hemed (67’), which was awarded after a VAR check confirmed the ball had crossed the line.

John Koutroumbis guaranteed the three points with a debut goal (90+3’) for the Wanderers, running the length of the field to hit the ball into an empty goal after the New Zealanders committed all their players forward for a corner.

Other Greek-Australians who featured for the Western Sydney were Terry Antonis, Dimitri Petratos and Tassos Mourdoukoutas.