Brendon Santalab's first hat-trick for Western Sydney Wanderers has given the struggling club reason to believe a lacklustre season could still finish with a flourish.
A finals berth is all but sealed for Western Sydney, who opened an eight-point gap on seventh-placed Wellington Phoenix with their second successive win at home after beating Melbourne City 3-1 on Friday night. A season that at one point looked destined to end in a whimper is gaining momentum after the Wanderers finally turned a dominant performance against one of the pre-season favourites into a result befitting the display.
A week after becoming the club's record all-time goal scorer, Santalab set a new benchmark for most goals in a single season for the Wanderers, bringing his tally to 14 in 19 games.
"He keeps performing, keeps delivering," Wanderers coach Tony Popovic said. "At our club, we're not surprised to see what he does. It's about us making sure that he can keep producing like that whenever he plays. [He's a] Special player."
Two headers and a powerful drive from the 34-year-old sealed the impressive comeback for the Wanderers, who cast more doubt on the title credentials of the biggest-spending club in the league, who started the match in fourth gear but finished in a stall.
A cruel blow for Western Sydney gave Melbourne a fortunate lead in the third minute when a wicked deflected shot from Neil Kilkenny was turned into the net with a ricochet off Wanderers defender Jonathan Aspropotamitis.
It was symbolic of the hosts' fortunes for the most part of the season but instead of succumbing to a reasonable excuse, it sparked a spell of sustained pressure for the Wanderers, who tested the often porous City defence.
The visitors sought to outclass the Wanderers, rather than absorb the waves of Western Sydney attack - a decision they would rue in the 22nd minute. Kilkenny's calm crumbled under duress, spilling the ball at the feet of Western Sydney marquee Nico Martinez. He found Santalab, whose powerful finish beat beat goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson.
Santalab's incredible evening looked to have struck a snag on the hour mark when his eighth booking of the season triggered a one-match ban. He had his head in hands, but the dejection on his face didn't linger. Four minutes later, the forehead that told a story of frustration put the Wanderers on course for their second successive win at home.
The veteran striker bounced back by latching onto a left-foot cross from Scott Neville to power a close-range header into the bottom of the net to send the home fans into rapture.
Santalab may have ruled himself out of the crucial clash with Newcastle Jets but it mattered little for a man in a rich vein of form. By the 68th minute, he had his hat-trick. Showing his experience to drift in between his two markers, he turned a Jack Clisby cross into the net with an instinctive poacher's header.
It was a dominant lead of the type the Wanderers haven't been accustomed to this season, which showed in attempts to close down the game. A clumsy foul by the otherwise impressive Kearyn Baccus on Nick Fitzgerald gave City a chance to claw back the deficit from the spot. However, Bruno Fornaroli's poor attempt down the middle was thwarted by Vedran Janjetovic.
It was a dashed chance for a late comeback for City, though their problems were at the other end. The absence of Danish defender Michael Jakobsen proving crucial according to their coach Michael Valkanis.
"We're missing out on Michael Jakobsen, the best defender in the A-League. I don't think we lost many games with Michael in the lineup because of the experience he brings and the leadership he brings," Valkanis said.
