A-Leagues talking points: Round wrap-up

City soar with dominant win over Roar
Melbourne City climbed to fourth on the Isuzu UTE A-League Men ladder after a commanding 4-1 victory against Brisbane Roar on Friday night. Andreas Kuen struck in the opening minute, setting the tone for a City side that also saw Yonatan Cohen score twice and Steven Ugarkovic seal the win with an 82nd-minute goal. City have now won three of their last four matches.

Auckland triumph in fiery New Zealand Derby
Auckland FC continued their dream start to life in the A-League Men with a thrilling 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix. The sold-out GO Media Stadium crowd of 26,000 witnessed an own goal from Isaac Hughes and a Nando Pijnaker strike secure Auckland’s sixth straight win. Despite conceding their first goal of the season, a Kosta Barbarouses effort, Steve Corica’s side held on to stay unbeaten.

Western United return to form
Western United snapped a three-game winless streak with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sydney FC. Kahli Johnson’s 55th-minute stunner was cancelled out minutes later by Sydney, but Kiara De Domizio’s late finish in the 88th minute handed Western all three points.

Phoenix soar past Roar in women’s clash
Wellington Phoenix moved to eighth on the Ninja A-League Women ladder with a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar. Annalie Longo’s brace outshone Emily Pringle’s first-half goal, helping the Phoenix claim back-to-back wins and pushing Brisbane to third.

Kuol shines as Mariners edge 10-man Sydney
Alou Kuol’s second-half double propelled Central Coast Mariners to a 2-1 win over Sydney FC. Sydney’s Harrison Devenish-Meares saw red before halftime, and the Mariners capitalised, with Kuol’s 70th-minute decider securing a hard-fought victory.