Western United survived a first-half onslaught before wrapping up a 1-0 win over Sydney FC to move back to the top of the A-League ladder on Wednesday night.
Western are priced at 10/3 to win the A-League minor premiership this season and they are showing no signs of slowing down as they continue to pick up the wins.
Sydney domination
John Aloisi's men should have found themselves behind at the break as Sydney FC carved out a host of chances but could not take any of them as the score remained level at 0-0.
Steven Lustica, who penned a new one-year deal last week, went on to make them pay with a stunning strike in the 67th minute, his fourth goal in the last seven games.
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The veteran had not scored in the first six games of the season and Aloisi is glad he has finally found his shooting boots.
"It was a great finish. That's why we've re-signed him, to score goals for us," the Western coach joked.
Crucial three points
Western United have now chalked up eight wins, seven of which have been 1-0, but Aloisi says the scoreline does not bother him as long as they get the three points.
He admits they rode their luck a bit in the first half but was proud at the way his players stuck at it to get the three points.
"You can't always play well, and the first half we weren't playing well," Aloisi added. "In the second half I thought we were really good, and we got our just rewards when we scored the goal.
"I'm so proud of the boys. I don't care, 1-0 or 3-2, it's important to get the wins."
