Newcastle beat Adelaide with late Dimi Petratos penalty

A contentious late penalty helped Newcastle tighten their grip on second spot in the A-League as they scored a 2-1 home win over Adelaide United.

Dimi Petratos converted the 89th-minute spot kick awarded after his shot cannoned off Ersan Gulum and hit the arm of Ryan Strain.

Referee Stephen Lucas had his decision confirmed by the VAR but it incensed the visitors, with Isaias and Vince Lia booked and assistant coach Filip Tapalovic shown a red card.

The win strengthened Newcastle's grip on second spot, pushing them four points clear of Melbourne City and nine ahead of Adelaide United, who started the round in fourth.

In the 55th minute, in-form Jets striker Andrew Nabbout made it six goals from the past seven games when he rifled the the ball home from what would have been an offside position had Lia not inadvertently poked the ball into his path.

The lead lasted just 12 minutes as Adelaide equalised through George Blackwood, who finished well from close range following a cross by Michael Marrone. Three minutes later, Marrone almost gave the visitors the lead but had his shot blocked by Jets goalkeeper Glen Moss.

Nabbout's goal was one of the few clear-cut chances in the first hour in which the usually potent Jets struggled to impress in temperatures nudging 30 degrees Celsius. The first half produced just one shot on target, when Moss saved a shot from Nathan Konstandopoulos, and Adelaide enjoyed a slight edge in possession and territory.

Bookings far exceeded goals in the first half, with the Jets' John Koutroumbis and Petratos and Adelaide's Gulum getting yellow cards.

Newcastle looked more lively in the second half and maintained their record of scoring in every game this season.