Even before the kickoff of Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix on Sunday night, Round 23 had set a new A-League Men record for most goals in a single round. The 1-1 draw in Sydney added the 32nd and 33rd goals, demolishing the previous record of 30 set in Round 26 of 2023/24.
'Peak A-League' moments of the week
Almost everything was going perfectly on the field for Western United this weekend when they registered their fourth consecutive victory... at least Hiroshi Ibusuki's head was screwed on the right way!
The A-League Women competition produced a staggering 28 goals in five matches - 5.6 per game compared with 5.5 for the men - with four of the five matches producing either a winning or an equalising goal beyond the 88-minute mark.
There were jubilant scenes in Tarneit as Western United retained fourth place with their 4-3 win over Canberra United, with one A-League superfan reporting that United substitute Chloe Lincoln had to get her head bandaged after an accident during the celebrations!
The biggest winner of Round 23 is...
Western Sydney Wanderers pulled off one of the most mesmerising comebacks of the season to register a fourth consecutive victory (for the first time in nearly a decade) and leapfrog above not only Melbourne Victory but also Melbourne City (who lost a catchup game during the week).
Alen Stajcic outsmarted Victory coach Arthur Diles tactically and held back some dynamic goalscorers before pulling the trigger on Nicolas Milanovic and Marcus Antonsson, who used their fresh legs to combine for the Wanderers' third and fourth goals in the dying moments of the match.
Stajcic's side have collected 16 of a possible 18 points from their last game to storm into playoffs contention and they'll have to ensure not to peak too early, with crucial games against Auckland and Western United to come in April.
Seven of their players will be in action during the international window either at senior team or under-23 level, with Brandon Borrello selected in Tony Popovic's 26-man Socceroos squad, whilst Bozhidar Kraev and Mohamed Al-Taay have been named in the Bulgaria and Iraq squads respectively for their important internationals.
The biggest loser of Round 23 is...
Reigning champions Central Coast Mariners look to be cooked for 2024/25 after recording an eighth consecutive league game without victory (D5, L3) in addition to a pair of ACL losses inbetween.
A 2-2 draw in their inaugural trip to Auckland is nothing to sneeze at, but unfortunately they've gotten themselves into the position where it isn't enough.
47-year-old head coach Mark Jackson praised the "character" of his players but lamented their defensive structure against Auckland's set pieces, one of which led to a goal.
Macarthur's win in Adelaide means the Mariners ended the weekend 11 points outside of the top-six, with Newcastle, Sydney and Adelaide all above them with a game in hand.
They could even be superceded by Wellington Phoenix, whose coach last week ruled out his own team's chances of making finals.
Goal of the week
Check out the control shown by Rhys Bozinovski during the second of his two goals for Western United in their booming victory. Note how, after a shot with his preferred right foot was denied by Jets keeper Noah James, he managed to recover the rebound and go one better with his weaker foot. Superb striking.