Thomas Kristensen leads Brisbane Roar to Adelaide United rout

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Thomas Kristensen scored a first-half brace as Brisbane Roar waltzed to an easy 4-0 A-League win over a flat Adelaide United on Sunday.

Snapping a frustrating run of four straight 1-1 draws for the Roar, Kristensen's two goals came within the space of just three minutes, and both were served on a platter by Socceroo hopeful Tommy Oar.

Veteran Thomas Broich added the third in the 55th minute, steering a well-timed header past Adelaide captain Eugene Galekovic from a smart Dimitri Petratos free kick, while a late Jamie Maclaren penalty was the final dagger.

The Roar remain fourth on the ladder, equal on points with Melbourne Victory and one behind second-placed Melbourne City, but have closed the gap on runaway leaders Sydney FC to seven points.

It was a spritely performance from Brisbane despite a sub-standard pitch at Suncorp Stadium, which showed clear signs of wear after a Coldplay concert midweek. However it did not overly detract from the spectacle of the match, played out in front of 15,605 fans.

The only concern from the Roar's perspective was a calf injury to Broich, who was taken off shortly after scoring his goal. For the Reds, it was a harsh reality check after breaking through for their first win of the season last week, and any hopes of a similar run to last season's sensational march to the premiership-championship double looks unlikely.

Jamie Young started in goals for Brisbane, following Michael Theo's late withdrawal due to a quad injury, and was equal to the task every time he was tested.

Adelaide's best chances came late on, when the match was already settled, with Iacopo La Rocca's crossbar-rattling header in the 64th minute the closest they got to finding the back of the net.

Former Danish international Kristensen had no such trouble, striking in the 28th and 30th minutes to take his season tally to four goals. It was an unhappy return to Suncorp for Henrique, who was received warmly by his old fans but was responsible for the handball that gave away Maclaren's 85th-minute spot kick.

Maclaren nearly opted out of the match because of the recent death of his grandmother but decided to play on and dedicated his goal to her memory.