Canberra United pulled off a huge upset, coming from a goal down to defeat Melbourne Victory 3-1 at the Home of the Matildas.
Victory striker Kennedy White continued her barnstorming run by scoring the opening goal of last Friday night’s match in just the fourth minute.
But it was all Canberra from that point on, with Nanako Sasaki levelling the scores in the 22nd minute, before Sasha Grove’s 55th-minute floater gave the visitors a shock lead.
The upset win was sealed in the 77th minute when Victory defender Kayla Morrison turned the ball into her own net.
Canberra had posted just one win from their previous 16 trips to Victoria and hadn’t beaten Victory in Melbourne since December 28, 2016.
The shock result lifted Canberra to the top of the table albeit having played more games than most of their rivals.
Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City made moves up the ladder with valuable victories on Sunday.
City, with captain Rebekah Stott scoring the sole goal in a win against Wellington Phoenix, jumped from seventh to fifth.
The Roar earned a classy 3-1 away triumph over Adelaide United, while Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC drew 0-0 in their derby.
The Phoenix slipped from sixth to eighth after their first loss of the campaign.
In Adelaide, Brisbane Roar’s Bente Jansen scored a brace in her side’s convincing triumph – a third win in four outings.
Brisbane’s Grace Kuilamu scored on the half-hour and the visitors skipped further clear when Jansen netted in the 49th minute.
But Adelaide attacker Erin Healy raised home side hopes with a 51st minute strike, only for Jansen to settle the contest with her second goal some 67 minutes in.
At Marconi Stadium, the Sydney rivals couldn’t be split despite their gap on the ladder.
The Sky Blues, with two wins and three draws, sit equal second on nine points with the Roar and Victory after the last-placed Wanderers produced a plucky display with five more shots at goal than their rivals.
In Sunday night’s late clash, the Central Coast Mariners trounced Newcastle 3-1 in a derby postponed from Saturday night due extreme heat in Gosford.
Schedule – AEDT
Friday 12/12
Perth Glory v Wellington 10pm
Saturday 13/12
Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar 2pm
Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United 4.50pm
Canberra United v Melbourne City 5.30pm
Sunday 14/12
Western Sydney v Central Coast 5pm
Wednesday 17/12
Melbourne City v Adelaide United 5.30pm
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Canberra United 3 1 2 10
2. Brisbane Roar 3 0 1 9
3. Melb Victory 3 0 3 9
4. Sydney 2 3 1 9
5. Melb City 2 1 0 7
6. Newcastle Jets 2 1 1 7
7. Central Coast 2 0 3 6
8. Wellington 1 2 1 5
9. Adelaide United 1 1 2 4
10. Western Sydney 1 1 3 4
11. Perth Glory 1 0 4 3
With AAP
