Christmas has come early for the Wanderers as they went five points clear at the top of the league with a fantastic team performance, defeating Newcastle 2-0 at Wanderland.
In an entertaining first half with chances at both ends it was the Western Sydney Wanderers who were able to strike first right before the break. This gave them the momentum to go on with it in the second half and take control. A Mark Bridge strike in the 70th minute was enough to secure the points for the Wanderers.
The Jets had their chances but were not clinical enough on the night. The best chance of the game fell to Envir Alivodic who was unable to guide the ball past Andrew Redmayne, who made a good save down low. They also had a big shout for a penalty just before the break after what looked like an obvious handball was not only waved away but was given against them. Milos Trifunovic, who now leads the league in the offside count, was also adjudged to be in an offside position after going clear through and replays show that it was a very tight call.
Bridge more influential down the middle
Bridge continued his fantastic scoring form as he stroked home the Wanderers’ second in the 70th minute. He started the match out on the left-wing and at times struggled to get into the game. Popovic then made a tactical decision to bring off Mitch Nichols for Dario Vidosic, allowing Bridge to slot into the vacated attacking-midfield position. He instantly found himself more involved in the game and found himself in the right position to score his goal.
That is not to take anything away from Nichols, however, as he has been in tremendous form for the Wanderers this season and he continued to look dangerous tonight. Nichols, on a number of occasions, tried his luck from distance but was unable to have a real influence on the match.
Jets continue to stumble
This defeat will mean that the Newcastle Jets remain outside the top six come Christmas time. After such a promising start to the campaign and even sitting top at one stage, they have had a very rough time of late and have failed to win since their remarkable comeback win over Melbourne City way back on 30 October.
The imminent departure of first-choice left back in Lee Ki-je to his native Korea means some much needed money for Miller to try and strengthen his side will be freed up in the salary cap. With Leonardo struggling with a knee injury, a lot of the pressure is falling on David Carney to produce in the front third and this lack of creativity coming out of the Jets midfield surely has to be addressed.
Wanderers to enjoy the festive period
After a tough and long season last year, the Wanderers have proven once again that they are genuine title contenders. Popovic is still sticking with his rotation policy as he does not want his players to be running out of legs which has seen him make a number of changes over the last two matches. Popovic will be delighted with how his fringe players have been able to step up when called upon which shows the depth that the Wanderers have in their squad.
The Wanderers currently sit five points clear at the top of the league and will now be able to enjoy their Christmas period, sit back, relax and hope that the chasing pack stumbles over the festive period.
Outside90 Player of the Year Votes
3 – Alberto Aguilar
2 – Romeo Castelen
1 – Mark Bridge
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
