Melbourne City FC has bounced back and returned to the winner’s list with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday evening.
Adrian Luna opened the scoring inside the first two minutes after latching onto Craig Noone’s piercing through ball, before the Uruguayan doubled City’s advantage ahead of the half time break.
Javier Cabrera and Jamie Maclaren found the back of the net in the second half to secure the result for City, with the team’s attention now turning to Round 11’s Christmas Derby at AAMI Park.
Starting XI
Rostyn Griffiths missed the clash through illness, as Adrian Luna, Denis Genreau and Tom Glover came into the starting XI, replacing Connor Metcalfe and Dean Bouzanis.
Our team is in for tonight's clash with Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium. #NEWvMCY #ForeverCity pic.twitter.com/mvWbIvrHx5
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) December 15, 2019
What happened?
Eager to bounce back from last week’s loss at home, City’s attacking intent was on display from the get-go. Inside the opening 40 seconds of play, Curtis Good picked out Javier Cabrera with a peach of a ball before the winger whipped in a cross which just beat Jamie Maclaren for pace.
It was a sign of things to come for Erick Mombaerts’ team with Adrian Luna opening the scoring less than 60 seconds later. Promoted to the starting XI, Luna made an immediate impact after latching onto Noone’s through ball and slipping the ball past the keeper to hand City a 1-0 lead inside the opening two minutes.
City continued to press and dominated the first 17 minutes of play, with eight shots on goal to none. Luna, Cabrera, Maclaren and Denis Genreau looked threatening every time they got the ball at their feet, as City looked to move it quickly and keep the Jets’ defence under constant pressure.
Dimitri Petratos had his side’s first chance on goal against the run of play, when he forced a strong save out of Tom Glover on the 24th minute mark following an acrobatic effort from close range. Less than two minutes later it was Petratos again, this time driving an effort with great force from 20 yards and forcing a brilliant save from City’s shot stopper.
As the half hour mark approached, City continued their dominance of the contest and would soon double their lead when Josh Brillante found Luna’s head with a perfectly placed cross, allowing the Uruguayan to make no mistake with a glancing header from close range.
Much-like the first period, the second half was all one-way traffic with City eager to extend their 2-0 advantage.
It was a sense of déjà vu, with City again finding the back of the net inside the opening few minutes. This time it was fellow Uruguayan, Javier Cabrera who fired a bullet-like effort home, giving Jets shot-stopper Glen Moss absolutely no chance in goal.
Cabrera went from goal scorer to provider 12 minutes later, finding Jamie Maclaren with a brilliant cut back, allowing the Socceroos international to make no mistake with a composed finish, becoming the fastest player in Hyundai A-League history to reach 10 goals.
As the half progressed, City had a number of chances to extend their lead, with second half substitutes Lachie Wales and Nathaniel Atkinson going close.
In what was a clinical response from Mombaerts’ men, City will be determined to extend their run of form when they host Melbourne Victory in a blockbuster Melbourne Derby on Saturday.
What’s next?
Melbourne City FC host Melbourne Victory in the annual Christmas Derby at AAMI Park on Saturday 21 December, kick off 5:00pm. Get your tickets here!
