Western United have claimed their first A-League Men championship in just their third season, stunning Melbourne City 2-0 in the grand final to complete coach John Aloisi’s redemption arc.
United took the advantage via City defender Nuno Reis’ own goal in the second minute, the fastest goal in an ALM decider, with Aleksandar Prijovic doubling their lead in the 30th in front of 22,495 fans at AAMI Park.
The title, which United won from third place, marks Aloisi’s first silverware as a coach and stopped City from becoming the first team to complete back-to-back premiership-championship doubles.
United took a gamble on Aloisi, who hadn’t coached since 2018 after a rough end to his time at Brisbane Roar and a brutal first job at Melbourne Heart.
It paid off in spades as they became the second team after Melbourne Victory in 2017-18 to win from outside the top two, despite being without Alessandro Diamanti, Rene Khrin and Nikolai Topor-Stanley.
Serbian striker Prijovic won the Joe Marston Medal as United’s focal point while central defenders Leo Lacroix and Tomoki Imai blanketed Jamie Maclaren.
Connor Pain was also superb while Josh Risdon pushed through an early injury.
Pre-game, United’s active fans unfurled a “the west has arrived tifo” and it proved prophetic inside two minutes.
Former City man Ben Garuccio whipped in a corner to the near post and Prijovic rose highest only for the ball to bounce off Reis’ head for an own goal.
United kept City to just one first-half shot and doubled their lead on the half-hour mark.
Pain’s shot was blocked by Reis and the ball rebounded off Pain’s face, took a touch off Connor Metcalfe and skidded into the path of Prijovic, who coolly finished.
The goal was originally chalked off but after a quick review with VAR Kris Griffiths-Jones, referee Chris Beath awarded it.
There was controversy in the 44th minute when City’s Carl Jenkinson squared up to Pain and appeared to headbutt the winger.
Jenkinson wasn’t punished but was hooked for Scott Galloway at halftime.
City peppered United’s goal after the break.
Curtis Good powered a header onto the bar in the 48th minute, Metcalfe headed over in the 54th while Mathew Leckie came close in the 61st.
In the 66th, Andrew Nabbout smashed a fierce shot goalward but Jamie Young somehow pulled off an incredible instinctive save.
Fifteen minutes later, Young made a wonderful fingertip save to flick Galloway’s fizzing long-range strike over the bar and ensure United’s triumph.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Hey …. stop stealing Melbourne City jokes :angry:
Bruce
Guest
Both fans of Western United are reportedly very happy.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
better, for many clubs, to pay them to help keep youngsters they're bringing through rather than see them rush off to a higher wage and sit on the bench
Mark
Guest
I think it’s a pot shot at all the ‘abolish the salary cap’ people here. There was a lot of variety in the European league winners, hey?
Mark
Guest
Lol. More of the same. Hope you’re having some food with all that whine.
Mark
Guest
The only ‘rigging’ of the draw was trying to accommodate the Qld and WA border closures by backloading their home games. The APL should have just done a regular draw and if Brisbane and Perth couldn’t play their home games because of border closures, they should have played them at neutral venues.
Tigertown
Guest
He’s a new man. It’s a Christmas miracle, the season for giving!
jbinnie
Guest
Stevo - With all due respects to JA ,he has nor "created" a style that is difficult to play against. The move to "having what you hold" goes back to a man called Herbert Chapman who started to "play" with team formations back in 1924, yes, 98 years ago, and since those far gone days we, the football fan, have been subject to a vast number of changes to football team structures. Until Chapman started his "meddling" with the then widely accepted 1-2-3-5- formation his move started a revolution among manager/coaches, who, each and every one of them, had their own ideas as to how a team should line up, From that "move" the formation WM gained worldwide acceptance until after WW2 when the Hungarians were cut loose on football.. JA's formation of 1-4-1-4-1 is far from new, it was the basis of the infamous "catenaccio" as used by mainly Italian teams in the mid 1950's What has happened since those days is that football tactics ,and formations have gone the full circle so it probably more correct to say JA copied a style of football played successfully elsewhere and simply fitted his players to that formation. AP did the same when at Roar . He observed how Barcelona dominated games and fitted his Roar team to that strategy, not always as effectively as Barca but good enough for the standard of play in Australia. JA's test is in front of him. He must now look at how to improve his team and that will be a much truer measure of his newly gained expertise in coaching. Cheers jb.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
City struggled against Roar, including in the opening round when Roar had a same day fifo. But you know, when I was a kid I lived in a very remote part of Australia, cattle country and sheep, and lots of wild dogs, dingoes wreaked havoc among our stock, especially after a flood. We used to set dog traps to catch them, and laid out baits to attract them to stand around the buried trap. Bang. Gotcha. We caught lots of dingoes but cunning ones, or desperate ones like with young pups, would chew their leg off to get out of the trap. Some smart ones walked around the trap. Very smart but we still caught plenty. I learnt about traps very early in life, the hard way, lost part of my finger in one, ouch. I learnt to be careful with them, how to lay them and handle them. Your traps are not well laid, sloppy, barely warrant recognition as such.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I think Grant is the biggest name dropped, one of the best against Barcelona. Cummings dud in the finals, dud against Barcelona. Duke has even played left back in Japan at one time, I assume he is on the left in some capacity not as a striker. McLaren dud of the season, tap ins and penalties against easy beats , never shows up internationally or in tough A-league matches. Arnie's squad is dodgy Aaron Mooy is not down as playing a match this year.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
not under this current coach,they wont.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
spot on,I dont think he cant he has to take more risks and make more plays to go forward.He makes them play one style of boring football.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
often that other side looks into the late afternoon sun, part of the reason no one sits there
Grem
Roar Rookie
There could have been more thought with the draw. Perth should have been allowed to stay home once they returned and the same for Wellington. When Perth and Wellington were outside their home, for financial reasons, I think they should have played “home” games as away games in the other team’s stadiums and pocketed some returns. It did take some time for Anna to finally let the crazy states, like NSW and Victoria, that let Coronavirus run wild, into Qld. That did affect when we could come. Overall I think FA and the APL did a great job keeping our game alive.
Grem
Roar Rookie
And he's been cranky since he was born.
Grem
Roar Rookie
That comment was completely positive. Are you feeling OK?
Garry
Roar Rookie
Yes its commonsense yet, as Ive said before, we tend to ignore it. Most grounds telecast from the stands where everyone is and therefore show the empty stands, They need to move the cameas to the other side.
Garry
Roar Rookie
Jamison has been ‘old’ for about 5 years now..he has been carried in this team by the foreigners & youngsters. Bos shouldvre plalyed and many times Atkinson shouldve played but Jamison got the nod..no wonder Atkinson left..Florin is their smartest player but he obviosuly wasnt fully fit (luna is their dirtiest)..
Grem
Roar Rookie
Some difficult selections to understand. If Garang can break open Barcelona, I think he might go OK against the UAE. Cummins has certainly got more form on the board than Taggart or Duke in J League 2. And shouldn’t either Young or Birrighiti be in front of Redmane and perhaps Gauci could go for experience as he may be our future.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Its great to have different teams winning the finals as it brings in new life into the game.