3 minute read
A strike from Stefan Mauk in his 150th A-League Men appearance has proven enough for Adelaide Unite to travel to the Hunter and defeat Newcastle.
Adelaide United remain unbeaten and have moved into second on the A-League Men table after defeating the Newcastle Jets 1-0.
In sapping conditions at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, the Reds took the lead through Stefan Mauk during a dominant opening and despite Ben Folami's 64th-minute red card the host's increasingly desperate efforts, Carl Veart's side were able to see the game out.
The three points earned see them vault Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory in the standings, albeit the latter can reclaim their spot should they defeat Perth Glory on Sunday afternoon.
Jumping on the Jets quickly, Adelaide could have been ahead in the fourth minute when a heavy touch from Aleksandar Susnjar was pounced on by Archie Goodwin, only for the former Jet to have his effort saved by Ryan Scott.
A bevy of chances followed until Mauk finally converted in the 14th minute, turning in a Goodwin cross that had bounced off Scott to mark his 150th ALM appearance with a goal.
The Reds had sent in ten shots by the time Lachlan Rose produced the Jets' first in the 21st minute but were unable to prove their dominance into more goals.
And Newcastle, working themselves into the contest, almost made them pay in first-half added time when Rose got on the end of a Clayton Taylor cross at the top of the six-yard box, only for his effort to hammer off the crossbar.
Rob Stanton's side's efforts to engineer a comeback were further aided when Folami was dismissed by referee Ben Abraham after a VAR determined he had collected Phillip Cancar in the face as the two clashed on the ground.
But despite their best efforts, the hosts couldn't find a leveller in the remaining exchanges and remain in eleventh.