Gold Coast back on top after narrow win over Sydney FC

Gold Coast United have forced their way back onto the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Sydney FC at the Sydney Football Stadium.

A first-half Joel Porter striker was the difference as Sydney relinquished top spot and United jumped over both Melbourne Victory and tonight’s opponents to return to the summit of the competition.

Sydney FC: 0
Gold Coast United: 1 (Joel Porter ‘19)
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium
Crowd: 14,941

Both sides begun cautiously in the opening minutes before the game broke open just before the 20-minute mark when the visitors got their noses in front when Tahj Minniecon worked his way to the top of the area before playing Joel Porter in and the former Hartlepool United striker knocked it past Sydney keeper Clint Bolton from a tight angle.

Sydney and Gold Coast both had strong chances during the remainder of the first half but did not have their efforts rewarded on the scoreboard as the first term ended 1-0 to United.

Gold Coast picked up where they left off in the second half with attacking play that was troubling the Sky Blues defence but on the other side of the coin, the home side were able to get forward themselves but could not quite make the most of their play in the final third.

The last half-hour was spent by Sydney trying to get an equaliser but Gold Coast were holding sway and did not let their opponents in to record a vital win that saw them climb back to the top of the A-League table.