In front of a raucous crowd at Adelaide Oval, the home side withstood a desperate late charge from the Wanderers to record their first A-League Championship.
The visitors settled after a nervous start, but it was the Reds that broke free from the scrap, Bruce Kamau opening the scoring in the 22nd after a sensational build-up from Stefan Mauk and Marcelo Carrusca.
The Wanderers drew one back in the 58th through Scott Neville, putting a scare through the majority of the 50,119 spectators, but they could not find an equaliser, and the Reds capped off a famous win through Pablo Sanchez in extra time.
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Who wilted under the pressure of the decider?
Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Western Sydney Wanderers) – While generally reliable in open play, the towering defender had a series of brain fades, with his challenge on Kamau in the 33rd and the resultant goal giving the Reds a lead that would prove insurmountable. Halting the momentum of Mauk, Carrusca, Kamau and Djite is no easy task, but Topor-Stanley only made it more difficult for himself.
Mitch Nichols (Western Sydney Wanderers) – With the first 20 minutes a hotly contested affair, Nichols was afforded none of the space he prefers to work in, caught flat-footed even as the Wanderers got out on the fast break. A dual championship winner with Brisbane Roar, the midfielder has seen better days.
Scott Jamieson (Western Sydney Wanderers) – Frustrated from the outset, the defender struggled for touch and was half asleep as the Reds took an early lead. The weakest link in the Wanderers’ defensive chain on the day, his performance turned up the heat on Topor-Stanley and Alberto, with only the latter able to hold his head high.
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