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Adelaide United showed Hindmarsh Stadium was still their castle after a 2-0 win over fallen A-League champions Newcastle on Friday.
Midfielder Fabian Barbiero netted his first A-League goal midway through the first half and set up Lucas Pantelis for the sealer in the 74th minute to send United back to the top of the A-League ladder, at least until Melbourne play Perth on Sunday.
The 24-year-old took a pass from fullback Scott Jamieson on the edge of the penalty area in the 23rd minute and brilliantly beat two defenders before unleashing a left foot drive into the roof of the net to excite the 13,585 home fans.
A game of few chances then became plain sailing for Aurelio Vidmar’s team, bearing down on a third Asian Champions League appearance in 2010 with another midweek game to play on Wednesday night against Queensland Roar.
Barbiero’s goal was United’s only shot on target in the first half but helped Adelaide net their eighth win from 10 home games so far.
Vidmar sprang a major surprise when he started with midfielder Pantelis, who’d been sidelined for almost seven weeks with a knee injury.
But it proved a master stroke with Pantelis netting in clinical fashion off the post with his right foot in the 74th minute.
Vidmar also fielded young striker Richard Younis at the expense of leading scorer, Cristiano, who began on the bench before coming on late.
Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond handed striking duties to teenager Brodie Mooy on his A-League debut with the side short-handed, but the bottom placed Jets still sunk to their seventh loss in the past 10 games.
The Jets’ best chance came from defender Mark Milligan, who forced United keeper Eugene Galekovic into a fingertip save seconds before half time with a swerving drive from 20 metres.
Vidmar gave retiring ex-captain Mike Valkanis a chance to say goodbye to home fans with a run after half time in his 53rd A-League match.
Brazilian Cassio hit two free kicks just wide in the second half but Adelaide United marched on virtually untroubled and all but consigned the Jets to the wooden spoon less than 12 months after they won the A-League grand final.
Vidmar admitted playing Pantelis after seven weeks out was a risk.
“I really wanted him to play him in the youth league game today,” Vidmar said.
“But after a chat with (assistant) Phil Stubbins, we decided to start Lucas against the Jets.
“We really miss someone in the middle of the park who can get behind defences and Lucas can do that.”
Vidmar said he was planning to take off Pantelis at about the 70-minute mark, thinking any more gametime would have been too much first up.
Vidmar said Pantelis had put up his hand to play earlier in the week.
“It was certainly a great way to bounce back from defeat in Melbourne,” he said.
“It was very important to go out there in the right frame of mind and get three points.”
The only downer for Vidmar was a knee injury to rising teenage fullback Daniel Mullen, which is likely to give retiring Valkanis more game time than intended.
Jets coach Gary van Egmond said his short-handed side had been outplayed in the second half and ran out of legs.
“We had a few chances in the first half which we failed to take,” van Egmond said.
“If you’re not going to threaten and put some doubt in defenders’ minds, then you’re in for a torrid time.”
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