Adelaide United extended its undefeated streak to five matches after securing a pulsating 0-0 draw with high-flyers Western Sydney Wanderers at Pirtek Stadium in controversial circumstances.
The Reds are still winless in Wanderland, but did manage to collect a crucial point against a Western Sydney side now unbeaten in a staggering 10 games and probably deserved to win the clash on the balance of play.
Adelaide had the better of the opening exchanges, with Sergio Cirio unlucky not to have scored when his perfectly struck volley cannoned of crossbar.
Federico Piovaccari was contentiously denied a goal after he was adjudged to have pulled more of Dylan McGowan’s shirt in the build up to slotting past Eugene Galekovic.
Minutes later, the Reds had appeals for a blatant penalty of their own dismissed by the polarising referee Ben Williams, despite Michael Marrone being bundled over by the WSW skipper Nikolai Topor-Stanley.
Craig Goodwin had a chance to break the deadlock with a forceful header but was thwarted by the gloves of Andrew Redmayne, while at the other end Piovaccari again relinquished a golden opportunity to open the scoring.
The result means Adelaide stay in seventh place on 14 points, while the Wanderers remain at the summit of the table with a provisional three point advantage over the Brisbane Roar.
New Year, same old Ben Williams
It has become common knowledge that the first thing synonymous with referee Ben Williams is unquestionably controversy. Adjudicating his 150th A-League match, Williams was again just a whistle away from causing players to remonstrate with him after making a catalogue of dubious decisions. Employed as one of only three fulltime officials, he prevented Piovaccari from adding to his tally of two goals deeming the Italian had grabbed more of McGowan’s shirt in the lead up to executing his shot on target – despite replays indicating it was a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other.
However, that was only the beginning as he elected against awarding a clear-cut penalty to Marrone who was patently upended following his marauding run into the box, leaving the defender completely perplexed. Williams also failed to give Mark Bridge what appeared a genuine claim for a spot-kick when McGowan’s tackle collected the man first before taking some of the ball. It is worth noting that mistakes will always been made by officials, that is inevitable, but the fact is we need to diminish the number of controversial calls for the sake of the A-League to improve.
Mark Bridge continues to excel for the Wanderers
Bridge has been one of the standout performers for the league leaders when fit and was a dominant force during the first-half. Five goals in as many matches before tonight suggests he is arguably the form man of the competition as he was able to find space and distribute the ball in attacking areas. The 30-year-old looked dangerous when cutting onto his favoured right-foot from the left-flank and furthermore, linked up aptly with Romeo Castelen. His tireless work-rate coupled with the dribbling proficiency he possesses allowed the forward to cause the Adelaide defence several headaches as the ex-Sydney FC man’s season goes from strength to strength.
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Adelaide’s defensive renaissance firmly taking shape
The Reds were conceding a procession of goals a few weeks ago, however, that now seems a distant memory. After yielding 14 goals in four matches – an unwanted league record – Adelaide have very much turned a new leaf and are extremely resolute defensively. The formidable partnership that has transpired between McGowan and Jordan Elsey is a positive sign for United fans and is symptomatic of the Reds’ current undefeated streak of five games. Since round seven the pair, coinciding with captain Eugene Galekovic’s return from injury, Guillermo Amor’s men have kept a magnificent five clean sheets in seven games, conceding just one goal in the preceding five matches. Incidentally, it was the South Australians’ fourth scoreless draw of the season highlighting their improvement.
Outside90 Player of the Year Votes
3 – Jordan Elsey
2 – Mark Bridge
1 – Marcelo Carrusca
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