Melbourne City consolidate second spot with Jets win

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:17 am

Melbourne City consolidated second spot in the A-League with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park.

Craig Noone handed the home side the lead in the eighth minute before Jamie Maclaren converted a penalty in the 63rd.

Former City winger Nick Fitzgerald forced a good save from Dean Bouzanis in the opening minute, before the home side took the lead seven minutes later.

Maclaren went on a surging run down the left wing then cut the ball back to Noone, who curled a left-foot strike from outside the box past a diving Italiano.

In the 32nd minute, Noone lobbed a ball over Newcastle's defence to a bursting Maclaren, but his shot couldn't get past Lewis Italiano, who made a fine save.

Newcastle improved as the game went on and Abdiel Arroyo had the ball in the the net in the 57th minute but was correctly ruled offside.

City made it 2-0 after a penalty was awarded against Jets captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley in the 62nd minute.

The centre-back was in an aerial duel with Harrison Delbridge, with the City defender heading the ball into Topor-Stanley's arm.

Referee Kate Jacewicz - who also became the first woman to referee an A-League match - didn't immediately award a penalty but after a VAR review, pointed to the spot, with Maclaren then powering the ball into the bottom corner

In the 73rd minute, a low skidding shot from Dimi Petratos forced a fine goal line clearance from Delbridge, while Kaine Sheppard should have pulled back a goal in the 83rd minute but blasted his close-range shot over the bar.

Former Wales midfielder and ex-Vancouver Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson, who is believed to be the frontrunner to take on the Newcastle head coaching role, was in the stands alongside Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna.

City fans got their first look at Spanish signing Markel Susaeta late in the piece, with the former Athletic Bilbao attacker greeted with rapturous applause when he made his debut in the 86th minute.

Newcastle had a penalty shout when Scott Jamieson clattered into Johnny Koutroumbis in the 91st minute - then City almost made it 3-0 less than a minute later when Adrian Luna went on a bursting run and found Susaeta.

The new recruit chipped the ball to Maclaren, who headed a great chance over the bar, leaving City to settle for a 2-0 win - increasing the gap on Perth Glory to five points