Take a look at the highlights from the Ninja A-League showdown between Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets.
Melbourne City appears to be firmly grasping the Ninja A-League Premiership after delivering a commanding 4-1 victory over a Newcastle Jets team that finished the match with only nine players at AAMI Park.
The Jets started strong, but it took only 20 minutes for Melbourne City to find the back of the net as Holly McNamara netted her 13th goal of the season to give her team a 1-0 lead.
Things took a turn for the Jets when forward Sheridan Gallagher, already booked in the sixth minute for a reckless challenge on Taylor Otto, received a red card in the 26th minute for another foul on Otto.
Capitalising on their numerical advantage, City extended their lead in the 33rd minute when McNamara headed in her second goal of the match. The Jets then faced further trouble when Lorena Baumann was sent off for a kick on City defender Karly Roestbakken off the ball, leaving them down to nine players.
Remarkably, the Jets managed to equalise in the 67th minute when Devin Jackson’s header was deflected into her own goal by Emilia Murray, but this was a brief respite for the visitors.
Just over a minute later, City restored their lead as substitute Rhianna Pollicina struck a powerful shot from the edge of the area, followed by Bryleeh Henry adding a fourth goal in the 71st minute.
This victory not only extends City’s unbeaten streak to 22 games, but it also means they will clinch the Premiership if they equal Melbourne Victory’s result in the season’s final round, following Victory’s win over Central Coast Mariners on Friday night.
As the season wraps up, City will face Perth Glory in their final match, aiming to secure the Premiership again, while Victory will host Brisbane Roar.
On the other hand, the Jets, under Ryan Campbell’s management, remain in 11th place on the ladder and have accumulated a worrying total of eight red cards this season.
The Jets had a shaky moment in the opening five minutes when goalkeeper Danielle Krzyzaniak struggled to gather Alexia Apostolakis’ deflected shot, which soared up before being cleared off the line by their defence.
Already accustomed to collecting yellow cards, Jets forward Sheridan Gallagher received her 10th booking of the season within the first six minutes after a strong challenge on City defender Taylor Otto.
Despite the Jets’ promising start, it was Melbourne City that made the breakthrough in the 20th minute with McNamara taking a decisive step in the race for the Golden Boot.
After Leticia McKenna intercepted the ball inside the Jets’ half, McNamara created space for herself, receiving the ball on the edge of the box and skillfully nutmegging Josie Wilson before beating the keeper with a composed finish.
After conceding a goal, the Jets were dealt another blow when Gallagher received her second yellow card in just 20 minutes, forcing the referee to send her off.
From that point onwards, Melbourne City dominated proceedings.
McKenna collected the ball on the left and delivered a precise cross into the box that McNamara met with a powerful header, stretching the lead to 2-0 for the hosts.
With a hat-trick seemingly on the cards for the Ninja A-League’s leading scorer, McNamara missed an excellent chance to complete her hat-trick just before half-time, sending her shot wide of the target after Lourdes Bosch had pressured the Jets’ defence into a mistake.
Before the half concluded, the Jets’ woes continued as defender Baumann earned a straight red card for kicking out during a confrontation with Roestbakken.
Eager to extend their lead, City had a goal disallowed shortly before half-time due to an offside in the lead-up.
Leah Davidson, who hadn’t scored in the Ninja A-League for over five years, nearly broke that streak early in the second half, but her header narrowly missed the far post.
In an unexpected turn, the Jets pulled one back in the 67th minute.
During a corner, Jackson headed the ball towards goal, and after a significant deflection, it ended up in the bottom corner for what would ultimately be tallied as an own goal by Emilia Murray.
However, the one-goal gap lasted a mere 90 seconds.
Coming off the bench in the 62nd minute, Pollicina received a pass from captain Rebekah Stott on the edge of the Jets’ box, and after creating space, she rifled a low shot into the near corner to secure all three points.
With momentum in their favour, Henry joined the scoring spree, linking up with Pollicina before pummelling the ball past Krzyzaniak at her near post to make it 4-1 in the 71st minute.
With the game firmly in hand, history was made as head coach Michael Matricciani substituted veteran goalkeeper Barbieri, making her the oldest player to feature in an A-Leagues match while notching her 109th appearance.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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