Steve Smith sank his blade into England and was starting to twist it on Friday night as Australia mounted a strong fightback on a morale-sapping day for the visitors.
The third Test is still anyone's game but the run of play is firmly with the home side after England let Smith's men off the hook on the second day.
An hour into the day, Australia was on the rack, unable to take a wicket and with no reviews left, but as the shadows lengthened across the WACA it was Joe Root's men who were feeling the pinch.
None more so than giant paceman Craig Overton, who cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off the field in the final session nursing a rib he jarred attempting a diving caught-and-bowled offering.
It was unclear on Friday night what involvement he has left in the game but England's hopes of winning in Perth would be severely dented if they were to be down a bowler.
A total in excess of 500 was on the cards for England when century-makers Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow were in full flight but they had to settle for 403 after their fragile tail crumbled again. This time they lost 6-35 in 51 balls after collapses of 6-56 and 5-40 in Brisbane and 7-64 last week in Adelaide.
Australia was under pressure after losing openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in quick succession but, as has been his habit in the last three years, Smith came to his country's rescue.
The captain was unbeaten overnight on 92 with his eyes set firmly on a 22nd Test ton while Shaun Marsh was on seven.
The Australians, 3-203 at stumps on the second day, trail by 200 but can build a sizeable lead if Smith produces the epic ton which Malan (140) and Bairstow (119) could not.
Smith was forced to play the long game at the Gabba but on the faster track in Perth he was dictating the terms. Wide offerings generally raced to the cover boundary and anything on his pads was punished.
Other than a nervous moment on the final ball before tea when he was hit on the thumb and under the grille of his helmet by a bumper from Overton, Smith was in control.
Not for the first time this series, Smith was on top in the battle of the captains. By the time Joe Root belatedly gave James Anderson his first crack at Smith, the Australian already had 47 off 53 deliveries. The colt from the Shire had bolted.
Root had earlier erred when he failed to react to a chance at second slip from Usman Khawaja, who was on 28 at the time.
Khawaja was also given a life by Overton, who failed to hang on to a difficult return chance, but failed to cash in, trapped in front by Chris Woakes for 50. It ended a 124-run stand that enabled Australia to get out of a bind.
The margin for error is still small but the situation should have been much worse if England had honoured their pre-game pledge to be stronger for longer.
Malan and Bairstow took the shine off the new ball but with the hard work done they were unable to ram home the advantage.
Malan's departure, to a piece of magic from 12th man Peter Handscomb, ended a record fifth-wicket stand of 237 but exposed a lower order that has failed to fire this series.
Moeen Ali, a key player to so many counterattacks during the English summer, failed again, unable to handle a short ball from Pat Cummins.
There was little resistance from England's tail as Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc feasted.
"They have big tanks," Khawaja said of Australia's quicks. "Credit to them, they're very fit. It shows when they're still bowling with a lot of venom to the tail after 115 overs."
England's bowling lacked penetration with second-gamer Overton upstaging his more experienced teammates.
Prepared to pitch up, Overton enticed a poke outside off stump from Warner and jagged one back into Bancroft, whose challenge against a leg before wicket verdict was unsuccessful.
