Melbourne City 1-3 Newcastle Jets
By Emma Burke 16/1/25
Above: Melina Ayres and Kelli Brown celebrating a goal for Newcastle. Photo: Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets have defeated Melbourne City for the first time in their history, beating the league leaders 3-1 at AAMI Park.
Newcastle came to Melbourne with the perfect game plan in place to tackle Melbourne City, employing a consistent high press to break City down.
Their aim was to force an error out of City when restarting from the back, and they were successful in their endeavour.
City captain Rebekah Stott played an uncharacteristically poor pass to her centre back partner Taylor Otto, allowing enough space and time for Jets striker Alexis Collins to intercept the ball.
Collins played forward to Melina Ayres, who played it right back to her. The shot Collins took was denied by Malena Mieres in goal, but only into the path of Kelli Brown, who made no mistake with the second chance and put the ball away.
City were able to level the scores just before half time, when Holly McNamara expertly converted a penalty kick, awarded after a handball by Tash Prior in the box.
McNamara’s goal brings her level in the golden boot race, alongside Central Coast Mariners’ striker Annalise Rasmussen, both with eight goals to their name.
Unlike usual City performances when the scores are level, Melbourne were unable to grind down their opponents, so the Jets continued to soar in the second half.
A poor pass out from the box by Mieres, intended for Karly Roestbakken, saw her pocket picked at the top of the box by Libby Copus-Brown. Copus-Brown has no trouble beating Mieres by sending the ball into the bottom left corner.
The Jets’ final goal came through a gorgeous team play. Substitute Sophie Hoban played a long ball down the right for Melina Ayres to run on to. Ayres then pulled the ball back with a perfectly weighted backheel that found Charlotte Lancaster.
Lancaster fired on goal from the top of the box, beating a diving Mieres and securing all three points for her side.
This result marks City’s second loss for the season, but they manage to retain their position at the top of the table.
Melbourne City (4-3-3): Mieres, Roestbakken, Otto, Stott, Turner, Keane, Apostolakis, McKenna, Butrus, Uchendu, McNamara Substitutes: Barbieri, Henry, Wilson, Jackson, Jugovic, Rako
Scorers: McNamara 41’ (P)
Newcastle Jets (4-3-3): Leat, Bates, Prior, Karipides, Page, Lancaster, Dundas, Copus-Brown, Ayres, Collins, Brown Substitutes: Ritchie, Wilson, J. Allen, Johnson, Hoban, L. Allen
Scorers: Brown 32’, Copus-Brown 66’, Lancaster 71’
Referee: Page Malau-Aduli
Attendance: TBC
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