Shock Twist in Top-Four Battle as Ninth-Placed Perth Defeats Western in Major Upset

Perth Glory kept their slim hopes of reaching the finals alive with a commanding 3-0 triumph over fourth-placed Western United at the Sam Kerr Football Centre on Friday evening.

Western entered Round 18 eager for a victory to secure their place in the top four, but it was the ninth-placed Perth side that emerged triumphant, thanks to a brace from Kelli Brown and a sealing goal from Susan Phonsongkham upon her return from a six-month injury layoff.

With the three points in the bag, Glory climbed to ninth on the Ninja A-League table, sitting six points behind Central Coast Mariners, who occupy the sixth spot.

Brisbane Roar, Central Coast, and Canberra United are all closely posed, sitting within two points of Western United. With the Mariners and Canberra set to play their respective fixtures this weekend, Western could find themselves dropping to sixth place by the conclusion of Round 18.

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Glory striker Brown had an active first half, presenting multiple scoring opportunities before the interval, with her initial significant chance being thwarted by CommBank Matildas goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln, who made a crucial save to deny the Glory striker.

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However, Lincoln couldn’t prevent Brown from finding the net just minutes later when the newly-capped Football Fern opened the scoring.

After being brilliantly set up by Sarah O’Donoghue’s pinpoint pass into the box, Brown slotted the ball into the bottom-right corner, giving the hosts a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

This marked Brown’s fourth goal of the season, following her recent debut for New Zealand against Costa Rica in an international friendly on February 23.

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Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo came agonisingly close to equalising for Western with a shot on the turn inside the box, merely a minute after her side fell behind.

Dumont, the Glory keeper, was beaten by Logarzo’s low drive, but luck was not on her side as the ball struck the woodwork and went out for a goal kick.

Dumont was again called into action with ten minutes remaining in the first half when Isabel Dehakiz unleashed a powerful volley from within the area.

Dehakiz’s attempt was of exceptional quality, yet Dumont matched it with a stellar save, leaping to her left to deflect the ball away.

Just over 20 minutes into the second half, glory came knocking for midfielder Susan Phonsongkham, who made her much-anticipated return from injury, having suffered an ankle injury in the NPL Victoria Grand Final last September.

Phonsongkham wasted no time making her presence felt, playing a pivotal pass to Megan Wynne, which resulted in a desperate challenge from Julia Sardo. The ensuing red card for the Western defender paved the way for Glory’s advantage.

With a one-player and one-goal lead, Glory pushed on for a second to seal the outcome, and in the 81st minute, Brown struck again.

After receiving a pass from Natalie Tathem, Brown shaped to shoot, but a challenge from Grace Maher deflected the ball towards Lincoln. Unfortunately for the Western keeper, she couldn’t contain the ball as Brown capitalised, completing her brace.

Five minutes later, it was celebration time in Perth as a penalty awarded to the hosts saw Phonsongkham step up to take the spot-kick, coolly converting upon her return to the Ninja A-League.