Adelaide United have suffered their heaviest defeat of the season after succumbing to a 5-1 loss to Western United at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.
Besart Berisha opened the scoring before a cracking Riley McGree strike levelled proceedings on 25 minutes.
But it from there it was one-way traffic with the visitors scoring four times through Alessandro Diamanti, Max Burgess, Connor Pain and another goal from Berisha to seal the victory and replace the Reds in the top six.
Gertjan Verbeek made two changes to his starting line-up with Ryan Strain and Stefan Mauk returning from injury with Michael Marrone and Kristian Opseth dropping to the bench. Ben Halloran was a late withdrawal due to illness.
Adelaide struggled to maintain control of the game and were punished in transition.
Berisha broke the deadlock when he turned in Josh Risdon’s cross with a clinical finish.
McGree drew the Reds level with a thumping strike, beating substitute goalkeeper Ryan Scott at the near post from distance.
However, parity was fleeting as Diamanti was slipped through by Max Burgess and guided his effort past a helpless Paul Izzo.
Burgess then headed Western further in front after VAR overturned the initial offside decision seven minutes before the break.
It soon became 1-4 after half-time with a low, angled finish across the goalkeeper from Paul Izzo.
Risdon then grabbed his third assist of the day when his simple cut-back was met by Berisha for his second of the afternoon.
It was a frustrating day for Adelaide who will look to bounce back at home against Newcastle Jets next weekend.
Match details:
Saturday, 7 March 2020
Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Season – Round 22
Adelaide United 1 (McGree 25’)
Western United 5 (Berisha 18’ 56’ Diamanti 32’ Burgess 38’ Pain 49’)
Venue: Coopers Stadium
Attendance: 8,473
