Western Sydney have sent Sydney FC to their first A-League defeat this season, shocking the runaway leaders 1-0 to end their 19-match unbeaten run.
Three years after the Wanderers last beat their cross-town rivals, striker Brendan Santalab set the stands alight on Saturday night with a 26th minute goal at ANZ Stadium.
The match was an open, at times frenetic affair peppered with penalty claims – and one in particular will be scrutinised heavily.
In the game’s dying moments, Western Sydney’s Robbie Cornthwaite hung out a leg that hauled down Sydney skipper Alex Brosque in the box.
“That’s football isn’t it,” Sydney coach Graham Arnold said.
“I know the players are extremely disappointed. They feel there was potentially at least two (penalties).
“But at the end of the day plenty of other coaches have been talking about it so I’ll leave it to them.”
Santalab played both hero and villain on a controversial night, depending which camp the 44,843-strong crowd were in.
Back in the starting line-up after last week’s benching against Central Coast, the 34-year-old committed numerous reckless tackles but somehow didn’t make it into referee Chris Beath’s book until the 75th minute for a nasty from-behind challenge on Milos Ninkovic.
He made his presence known from kickoff with a late studs-up challenge on Danny Vukovic, before a bicycle-kick attempt landed straight in Brandon O’Neill’s face.
“In all aspects of the game we more than matched Sydney,” Wanderers coach Tony Popovic said.
“They’re obviously a very good team … we showed tonight we’re a very good team, which we knew we were.”
Late in the first half, a clumsy challenge on Ninkovic in Sydney’s box prompted a penalty shout, though Ninkovic was ruled to have handballed as the Serb collapsed to the turf.
The Sky Blues’ discipline dissolved after the break and it was only an out-of-nowhere clearance from Michael Zullo that stopped Nichols from scoring for the Wanderers.
Arnold was later livid as another penalty shout came and went, though replays suggested Clisby had been going in for a header when the ball collected him on the arm.
Soon after, tempers flared as a heavy foul on Ninkovic sparked an all-in melee and gave way to a frantic final 20 minutes during which Vukovic twice kept Sydney in the game and Janjetovic made a superb double save to deny former teammate Bobo from point-blank range.
j binnie
Guest
Marcel - I usually read comments at least twice before I pass comment. Let me give you a further example of what I am driving at. I mentioned Jets drawing 2 crowds of 11,000+ to two games this season and I know that they were "minor derbies" against 2 near neighbours which undoubtedly would have created extraordinary interest but they also played a game against Adeliade that drew 5,642 and another against Melb. City when the crowd was 7,981. Now I happen to know there are "outside" reasons that have to be considered as others have mentioned but the point I was trying to make ,is that having drawn those two big crowds it is obvious there is a market for football in the area,and that market has to be aggressively "attacked." IMO taking games to other areas ,like Canberra etc, is not the way to encourage those "missing" fans to turn up with more regularity. Cheers jb.
marron
Guest
I haven't forgotten that punter - not a comment about me. I don't think I've seen vic comment on how lucky you guys have been at various times this season. You've acknowledged this yourself. Point is, the minute there's a bad decision - or three, maybe, according to the many pundits with links to sydney fc (that one's for you vic - it's all a conspiracy, never mind the many more decisions that have gone the other way over the season.
Lionheart
Guest
good game, not great but good One day A League will attract a crowd size like this every round, because we have equal or superior standard of games every weekend. Well done WSW.
World Football.
Guest
Hey Vic. Which media outlet did Beath say he loves MV and hates the smurfs.
Ian
Guest
Turf. Elbow. Also. Take it easy.
Vic Ram
Guest
No ONE is worried about 1 OR 3 penalties, all Iam saying Chris Heath robbed us from being INVINCIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! being a MVC supporter and SYDNEY FC hater.........
Post_hoc
Guest
wrong mate, 1 penalty the other 2 no where near penalties. Sorry to rain on your parade but you had 1 that was waved away. And like it has been said, you've had so many go in your favour this year about time that one didn't.
Post_hoc
Guest
wow that is very spot on, and so up to date. Kudos
punter
Guest
Every team has a rub of the green, you just forget yours, eg Santalab should've been sent off first game of season & ends up scoring winner.
Vic Ram
Guest
Marron, what u gonna say for 3 clear penalties!!!!!!!!!!read the news...........
marron
Guest
You wouldn't have been on a run without the rub of the green in several of your previous matches vic.
punter
Guest
So sad that you follow a team that has to rely on someone else failing for you to succeed. Enjoy 6th place.
punter
Guest
So sad that you follow a team that has to rely on someone else failing for you to succeed. Good luck.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
The problem is, ac, that when statements are made without a source and no-one else has seen similar then it comes across as a Swedish terror attack.
Vic Ram
Guest
The headline should read Wanderers with the help of referee Chris Heath ruin Sydney's unbeaten run. To Wanderers fan don't forget the 4 nil hiding just few months back and please don't forget the win came after 1134 days. Sydney FC fans are proud becoz we played against 12 players including the referee, what a joke FFA should suspend referee Chris after he admitted his mistakes in awarding 3 clear cut penaltys , Robbie Slater at Fox Sports is right that Chris Beath lost control of the game, and this is the same ref that couple of years back came out and said openly to media that he hates Sydney FC and loves Melb Victory, no wonder he didn't want Sydney FC to win nor draw and create history. Don't worry Sydney you will win the final and Wanderers wont even make the top 6.................
marron
Guest
You aren't going on what was reported; there were no flares. Or perhaps you are, and are happy to admit the media make up stuff about football, given there were no flares in reality? Where do you stand on streakers? Let me guess... hilarious at the cricket, end of days at the sokkah....
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Was it this banner https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/19/ffa-condemn-homophobic-wanderers-fans-banner-in-sydney-derby ??????
buddy
Guest
I think the simple answer is that security at ANZ is just a bit on the "Lax" side, nothing more.
Josh
Guest
There wasn't a single flare. Just a great night with the best atmosphere in Australia.
AZ_RBB
Guest
It's a question WSW fans ask each other every week. It's staggering to think there are thousands of people who have bought season tickets but almost never use them. Have to also remember $250-300 isn't much money in Sydney. Even the most frugal person would spend that much in a week or less. Also Sydney is a city where "I'm a WSW member" carries a lot more weight than "I go to all the WSW games".