Two-time Australian A-League champions Melbourne Victory grabbed a crucial 3-2 win over Gold Coast United with ten men on Sunday to end a turbulent week off the pitch.
Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez headed the winner for Victory with 10 minutes left for the club's second win of the season and hoist Melbourne from seventh to third place behind tearaway competition leaders Brisbane Roar.
Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic has been under pressure with the A-League's biggest club in turmoil over a poor start to the season.
Melbourne threw away a two-goal lead and lost defender Rodrigo Vargas to a needless send-off before Hernandez popped up with the winner off an Archie Thompson cross.
Victory earlier looked as though they would cruise to a much-needed win after two first-half penalties to Australian international Harry Kewell inside three minutes for his first A-League goal and Hernandez in the 24th minute.
But a two-footed lunge by Vargas on Gold Coast striker Golgol Mebrahtu earned him a red card to change the course of the game after 30 minutes.
Dylan Macallister got Gold Coast back into the contest with a 45th-minute penalty and Dutchman Peter Jungschlager equalised minutes later before Hernandez's late intervention.
Brisbane Roar set a new Australian sports team record of 36 unbeaten games with their 4-0 victory over Perth Glory in Brisbane on Saturday.
Brisbane were at their clinical best to break the national club record held for 74 years by rugby league's Eastern Suburbs, now known as the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League.
Albanian striker Besart Berisha and Canadian Issey Nakajima-Farran each scored a double to send Roar six points clear of the Central Coast Mariners.
Central Coast downed Melbourne Heart 3-1 at home on Saturday, while Wellington Phoenix beat Sydney FC 2-1 in Wellington with Barbadian Paul Ifill scoring on his return from injury for Phoenix.
In the weekend's remaining match, Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets played out a scoreless draw.
Source: AFP
