Glory suffered their first Hyundai A-League defeat since late November as goals from Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Roy O’Donovan steered Newcastle Jets to a 2-1 win at McDonald Jones Stadium.
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After Tarek Elrich struck the bar for the visitors, Topor-Stanley’s stunning, long-range effort handed the Jets an early lead.
Neil Kilkenny’s penalty duly restored parity just short of the half-hour, but O’Donovan bundled home his eighth goal in 12 games against Glory with 16 minutes left to secure the three points for Carl Robinson’s side.
https://players.brightcove.net/5498268486001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6137219294001
The defeat, Glory’s first in the Hunter Valley since 2009, brought to an end the club’s ten-game unbeaten streak and prevented them from closing the gap on ladder-leaders Sydney FC who lost their derby clash with Wanderers on Friday.
And yet it was Tony Popovic’s side who created the better of the chances during an entertaining first-half which ebbed and flowed throughout.
Elrich came within centimetres of marking his starting debut for the visitors with a goal, thumping the bar with a rasping ninth-minute strike from outside the box and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble, Joel Chianese volleyed over the bar.
The Jets responded well to that let-off, taking the lead in spectacular style courtesy of Topor-Stanley who pounced on a loose ball fully 30m out from goal and unleashed an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
But the home defence continued to struggle with Chianese’s pace down the right, and the livewire winger played a key role in getting his side back on level terms.
Having wriggled free of his marker, he clipped in a low cross which, after consulting with the VAR, referee Adam Fielding adjudged to have been handled by Nigel Boogaard as the central defender went to ground.
Up stepped Kilkenny who disguised his penalty superbly to successfully send ex-Glory man Lewis Italiano the wrong way.
In contrast to the first-half, the opening stages of the second were rather cagey, with Newcastle looking the more likely.
Liam Reddy was twice called upon to punch clear Dimi Petratos corners while under heavy pressure and on the hour-mark, O’Donovan saw his header fly over the bar.
As the Jets continued to press, O’Donovan forced a reflex save from Reddy after being teed up by Matt Millar, but the Irishman was not to be denied sixty seconds later.
This time it was Bobby Burns who provided the cross from the right and when substitute Bernie Ibini failed to slide it home, O’Donovan pounced to force the ball over the line.
The latter stages saw Glory desperately attempt to conjure an equaliser and they thought they might have found it deep into stoppage-time, but Italiano stood tall to block Bruno Fornaroli’s point-blank effort at the far post.
Match Details
Newcastle Jets 2 (Topor-Stanley 12′, O’Donovan 74′) Perth Glory 1 (Kilkenny (pen) 29′)
Half-time: 1-1
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Referee: Adam Fielding
Assistant Referee 1: Andrej Giev
Assistant Referee 2: Matthew McOrist
Fourth Official: Kurt Ams
VAR: Kate Jacewicz
Newcastle Jets FC: 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 2.Bobby BURNS, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 7.Roy O’DONOVAN (3.Jason HOFFMAN 90+4′), 9.Abdiel ARROYO (21.Bernie IBINI 61′), 10.Dimi PETRATOS, 16.Matt MILLAR, 18.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS, 32.Angus THURGATE (8.Wes HOOLAHAN 61′), 44.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY
Substitutes not used: 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 11.Nick FITZGERALD, 19.Kosta PETRATOS, 29.Connor O’TOOLE
Yellow Cards: Thurgate
Red Cards: None
Perth Glory: 33.Liam REDDY (gk), 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Jacob TRATT, 7.Joel CHIANESE (18.Nicholas D’AGOSTINO 77′), 8.James MEREDITH (5.Ivan FRANJIC 61′), 9.Bruno FORNAROLI, 16.Tomislav MRCELA, 17.Diego CASTRO (c), 20.Jake BRIMMER (27.JUANDE 65′), 21.Tarek ELRICH, 88.Neil KILKENNY
Substitutes not used: 1.Tando VELAPHI (gk), 12.Kim SOO-BEOM, 28.Gabriel POPOVIC, 29.Kristian POPOVIC
Yellow Cards: Castro, Brimmer, Elrich
Red Cards: None
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