A-League Review: Perth Glory keep heat on Melbourne City after Maclaren settles derby

Melbourne City clinched a narrow 2-1 derby win over Melbourne Victory on Friday to consolidate their place in second in the A-League, but Perth Glory remain hot on their heels after winning a thriller with Wellington Phoenix.

At AAMI Park, Florin Berenguer put City in charge with just eight minutes played, turning in from the edge of the box after Adrian Luna produced a remarkable flick to beat his man on the right flank and squared to the Frenchman.

They doubled their advantage 19 minutes from time in style, Jamie Maclaren netting after Craig Noone slipped Berenguer into the box and his back-heel set up the finishing touch.

Ola Toivonen gave Victory some hope when his free-kick was inexplicably allowed in by goalkeeper Tom Glover, who fumbled the effort over the line, but it mattered little in the end.

 FULL TIME

A gripping #MelbDerby at @AAMIPark ! City consolidates second spot on the ladder. #MCYvMVC #ALeague @rebelsport #PlayFootball pic.twitter.com/vPHhF9ukXw

— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) February 7, 2020

Glory remain just a point behind City with a game in hand after a gripping 4-2 win over Wellington, with all six goals coming after the 43rd minute.

Tomislav Mrcela opened the scoring with a close-range header, before Nicholas D’Agostino made it 2-0 just before the interval, finishing off a well-worked move in the penalty area.

D’Agostino netted again when nodding in Kim Soo-beom’s left-wing cross, but the introduction of Gary Hooper appeared to restore some hope for Phoenix, as the former Celtic striker struck twice in eight minutes wither side of Tim Payne’s dismissal for two yellow cards.

But Bruno Fornaroli prevented any late turnaround, curling home from just outside the area late on to wrap up victory in the Distance Derby.

It’s staying here…#DistanceDerby #ElDistantico #OneGlory pic.twitter.com/urLGPKr4Jz

— Perth Glory FC (@PerthGloryFC) February 7, 2020