Adelaide United have continued their good start to the season with a 2-1 home win over Newcastle Jets. Mathew Leckie and Marcos Flores were again the danger men for the Reds, scoring a goal each as their side maintained their spot on top of the A-League table despite a late goal from Newcastle striker Sean Rooney.
A-League Round 6Adelaide United: 2 (Mathew Leckie 23', Marcos Flores 66') Newcastle Jets: 1 (Sean Rooney 90')
Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Crowd: approx. 8,000 Referee: Ben Williams Yellow cards:AU - nil NJ - Ljubo Milicevic 28'
Both sides began with attacking intent, creating an open and free-flowing encounter with Adelaide enjoying slightly more of the chances.
Newcastle players were clearly putting the off-field financial issues behind them and were advancing positively but it was the home side who managed to take the advantage by scoring the first GOAL. Reds defender Cassio made a great run down the left flank before playing a perfect aerial ball for a free Mathew Leckie who nodded past Jets keeper Ben Kennedy to make it 1-0.
Just before the half-hour mark, the Jets should have had an equaliser when Jeremy Brockie's left-foot shot from just inside the area rapped around the post before bouncing into the path of Adam D'Apuzzo who had his sweet shot brilliantly saved by Eugene Galekovic.
Neither side could add to the scoreboard in the remainder of the opening term as the home side took a slight advantage into the dressing room at the break despite the visitors putting plenty of pressure on in the final third.
Adelaide were dominating possession in the early stages of the second half and got their reward when they went 2-0 up.
GOAL Marcos Flores was the man to give the Reds the extra ascendency when he shook off two tacklers in midfield, took on the Jets defence before producing a quality left-footed finish past an advancing Kennedy, prompting him to jump the advertising boards and celebrate with the fans in the stand.
The Reds thought they had a third in the 73rd minute when Sergio van Dijk headed home from an Adam Hughes cross but the Dutchman was judged off-side by the linesman, saving any further blushes for Newcastle.
GOAL The Jets did manage to pull one back in the 90th minute when Reds defender Cassio played a horror backpass for Galekovic inviting Sean Rooney to knock one past the Reds gloveman and give the visitors some hope.
But Adelaide managed to hold out in injury time and record their fourth win on the trot.
Starting Line-Ups
AUEugene Galekovic (gk), Iain Fyfe, Daniel Mullen, Cassio, Adam Hughes, Lucas Pantelis (Keenan 84'), Sergio van dijk, Marcos Flores (Ramsay 78'), Paul Reid, Mathew Leckie, Cameron Watson (Cornthwaite 63')
Subs - Mark Birighitti (gk), Robert Cornthwaite (63'), Iain Ramsay (78'), Joe Keenan (84')
NJ Ben Kennedy (gk), Adam D'Apuzzo, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Ljubo Milicevic, Ben Kantarovski, Kasey Wehrman (Mooy 77'), Michael Bridges (Abbas 68') , Zhang Shuo (Rooney 57'), Tarek Elrich, Jeremy Brockie, Marko Jesic
Subs - Matthew Nash (gk), Sean Rooney (57'), Ali Abbas (68'), Brodie Mooy (77')
