A-League wrap: Victory edges out Reds in thriller
Nishan Velupillay came off the bench to score the winner as Melbourne Victory defeated Adelaide United 2-1 in a thrilling A-League Men encounter.
One of the fiercest rivalries in the A-League served up a treat on Saturday, as Victory came away with Original Rivalry spoils.
There was no shortage of action, the match seeing 35 attempts on goal in total and an 88th-minute red card for Victory full-back Jason Davidson.
His dismissal for a second yellow-card offence came 10 minutes after Velupillay was teed up by fellow substitute Robbie Kruse to tap in from close range and decisively restore Victory's lead.
Francesco Margiotta put the visitors ahead in the 59th minute, but Adelaide had responded through Jacob Tratt 11 minutes later.
Melbourne's win ended a run of three A-League defeats to Adelaide and brought up its first win at the home of its rival since January 2017.
While Adelaide remains winless, Victory's success sees it move to nine points in second place, behind Macarthur FC, which made it three wins on the bounce with a 2-0 triumph at Western Sydney Wanderers.
Tomislav Uskok and Jake Hollman got on the scoresheet for the league leader, which is the only unbeaten team so far in 2021-2022.
Bottom side Brisbane Roar's dismal start to the campaign continued in the early game, with Connor Pain's goal delivering a 1-0 win for Western United.
In A-League Women, two goals by Remy Siemsen sealed victory for the Sydney FC against city rival Western Sydney wanderers at Commbank Stadium.
The Wanderers were unable to find a breakthrough against the premiership heavyweight, the match ending in a 2-0 victory for the Sky Blues.