Western United’s winless streak has continued this time going down to an in-form Wellington Phoenix outfit.
Attacking midfielder Ben Old helped steer Phoenix to the top of the A-League Men table with a late winner in a 1-0 victory in Ballarat.
Both sides struggled to break the deadlock deep into Saturday’s clash, Old settled the tie with a sweeping right-foot strike that flew past goalkeeper Thomas Heward-Belle in the 79th minute. However, it wasn’t without an extra layer of drama with the video assistant referee (VAR) needing to run its eye over the goal.
The goal was cleared for off side and the goal stood, giving United its fifth straight loss following its victory against Melbourne City in round one.
“It was a bit of a sucker-punch that the goal got allowed because it looked offside,” United coach John Aloisi said after the match.
“The camera angles aren’t that good here because of the way the stadium is and there’s not as many cameras as normal.
“You can’t change the decision, so there’s no use in me getting angry.
“You just have to get on with it and make sure that the players aren’t getting too down.”
Yet Phoenix may have been lucky to escape with a victory, as United had the upper hand in many of the major stats. United had an extra five shots on goal and three on target than their counterparts and had marginally more possession.
“Our general play and performances have been better than the oppositions in the last four games, but we’re coming away with zero points in those four games,” he said.
Western United will hope to get back on the winners list when they face the Central Coast Mariners on Friday night up north.
The women will return from international break and play Adelaide United on Saturday.
