Adelaide United beat Macarthur with both sides reduced to 10-men in a spiteful clash at Coopers Stadium on Friday night.
Zach Clough scored the winner in the sixth minute from a Ben Warland assist in a performance which wasn’t “pretty”, said Adelaide’s Ryan Kitto.
“The effort the desire and that the players put in, it wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but we definitely build on it now,’’ Kitto said.
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“We played for 10 men for a long time and it was a massive effort.”
The clash turned sour for Warland and Macarthur’s Jake Hollman, who were both sent off either side of the break.
Warland was expelled in the 16th minute for a poorly timed challenge as the last defender before Adelaide owed its clean sheet to a man-of-the-match performance from Reds keeper Joe Gauci.
“It felt like an attack against defence after we went a man down,’’ Gauci said.
“At the back, we stayed resolute, we stayed strong, backs against the wall and a clean sheet.”
Hollman was sent off after a second booking, 10 minutes after the break for a foul on Adelaide’s Ethan Alagich.
Referee Kurt Ams at first appeared content to leave his yellow card in his pocket for the tackle before brandishing a caution and a red card.
Ams four minutes later flashed his red card at Ben Halloran for a second booking for a tackle on Ulises Davila.
Ams cancelled the punishment when he must have realised, he was wrong to expel the Reds winger who was playing right back after Warland’s send-off.
Halloran at that point had picked up just one booking.
However, the clash went pear-shaped for Warland after his assist.
Returning to the Reds line-up for the first time since November 11, Warland raked Craig Noone’s thigh when the Englishman ghosted between Adelaide stoppers including Nick Ansell after a speculative long ball.
Warland became the fifth player to be sent off for Adelaide this season where the club ranks as the worst in the A-League this season with 40 cautions in just 13 matches.
Noone flashed his thigh and the remanence of the tackle to a partisan crowd.
From the resultant free-kick Davila watched his 20m set piece crash against the upright in the 20th minute.
Gauci then made a world-class save from a Matthew Millar header in the 25th minute.
Georgian striker Bachana Arabuli watched his effort smack the opposite post from close range when Adelaide failed to clear a goalmouth scrimmage in the 26th minute.
Despite the numerical disadvantage Adelaide bounced back and had the Bulls back-pedalling until the break, forcing six corners to two and nine shots compared to seven.
Davila forced Gauci into another brilliant save from a 20m shot in the 70th minute.
Gauci made the save of the night when Davila tried to usher the ball over the line, but the gloveman slapped the ball away after Adelaide was again clumsy in defence as the clash was drawing to a close.
Adelaide started the match without the suspended Isaias, Juande and Alexandar Popovic with the trio expected to be ready for United’s away clash against Melbourne City on January 29.
— NCA Newswire