Melbourne City overcame a heavily disjointed build-up and the absence of coach Patrick Kisnorbo to notch an impressive 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
Socceroo Jamie Maclaren netted a brace – taking his A-League season tally to seven goals – as City turned in a blistering performance, defying injuries to not only key imports Adrian Luna and Florin Berenguer but also Kisnorbo, who was trapped inside his hotel room due to a bout of food poisoning.
Luna was ruled out with a hamstring injury while Berenguer hurt his ankle in the warm-up at Bankwest Stadium, forcing an 11th-hour change to their starting line-up – yet there was no evidence of any disruption on Tuesday night as City backed up their 3-2 win over Sydney FC last week in sumptuous style.
The Wanderers, in stark contrast, were woeful, slumping to consecutive losses – both at home – for the first time under coach Carl Robinson’s reign.