The City boys have taken a huge step towards a first-ever league title with their 4-1 win over Adelaide United last night at AAMI Park.
City’s corner routines were working wonders early on, with both fullbacks netting goals following opportunities arising from that type of set-piece, affording a 2-0 lead to the home side heading into the break.
Adelaide made the faster start in the second half, with Ben Halloran netting one from a tight angle following defensive and goalkeeping blunders from City, though our substitutes would yet again change the game and win it for their side. Stefan Colakovski won a penalty that Jamie Maclaren stepped up to bury, before the striker netted again following a brilliant individual effort and assist from Marco Tilio.
Andrew Nabbout’s game-ending first-half injury put a dampener on the night, but it was a memorable occasion aside from that. Here are three things we learned:
Records tumbling all over the place
On a night where the boys moved within two wins of an inaugural Premier’s Plate, it seemed as though history was being made everywhere you looked.
Celebrating his 100th game for the club, and becoming only the second player to do so for City, Scott Jamieson created yet another goal for his side, now responsible for three in two weeks.
At the other end of the pitch, Jamie Maclaren overcame a slow start to bury a penalty and a back-post opportunity to become Melbourne City’s all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing fan-favourite Bruno Fornaroli in doing so.
Finally, if it wasn’t already going to be confirmed by our first league title win in a few games time, then we also got further confirmation that this is indeed the greatest Melbourne City side of all time, with the team extending its undefeated streak to a record eight games, with six wins and two draws in that time. Our record winning streak at home was also extended to eight games.
Our depth isn’t just for show
It was briefly discussed in the preview to the Adelaide fixture, but City enjoy a gluttony of depth options this season. In a game that was still hanging in the balance at 2-1, Patrick Kisnorbo was able to call upon Marco Tilio, Adrian Luna, Nuno Reis, Stefan Colakovski and Daniel Georgievski to change the dynamic of the game, and that they did.
Proving that our depth isn’t just great on paper, Colakovski and Tilio came on to make a tangible impact, winning the penalty for the third goal and brilliantly setting up the fourth goal that sealed the three points.
Luna also had a notable influence on the game, providing a spark in midfield with his energy and assertive passing that helped to turn the tide back in our favour.
The Socceroos window has unexpectedly flung open for Glover, but does he deserve it?
The news may have escaped your attention given it was announced mid-match last night, but Socceroos goalkeeper Mitch Langerak has indicated his intention to retire from international football, citing the pandemic and his desire to stay close to his family.
With one less goalkeeper travelling with the Socceroos for the national team’s upcoming World Cup Qualifiers, one may have expected the #1 goalkeeper at the best team in the domestic league to have been in with a decent shout at being called up, but Tom Glover has been a fair way from his best this season.
The keeper’s aerial capabilities have been suspect throughout the 2020/21 season, his shot-stopping has been sub-par by his standards and his expanding collection of clangers nearly grew last night with that pass played directly into Craig Goodwin that nearly ricocheted into the net.
At his best, Glover has been deservedly touted as a potential Socceroo, but the fact is, he’s far from his best, and needs to rediscover his form from late 2019/20 if he’s to put himself back in that selection window.
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