Winners
Newcastle United
For 90 minutes on the weekend Newcastle fans may have been excused for actually enjoying watching their team play.
A tumultuous few years for the club was temporarily forgotten as Allan Saint-Maximin and Jonjo Shelvey tore West Ham United apart as they secured a significant three points away from home.
Their biggest win may have come against Manchester United, but this was by far their most enjoyable.
They killed the game with just over half an hour to go and should but should have led by four or five at the break, with West Ham having no answer for Newcastle’s pace in the attacking third.
While a tough road ahead still lies for Newcastle, they have shown what they are capable of and will take significant confidence out of their performances over the past month.
Western United
The big sound from the west got even louder as Western United recorded its most significant win yet.
Everything from their performance to their comeback personified what the club stands for and aspires to achieve, according to Mark Rudan.
It took something special from their captain, Alessandro Diamanti, to fire them back into the contest before a man-of-the-match performance from Scott McDonald got them over line.
The club’s emphasis on experience in its recruitment was questioned but appears to be paying dividends in building culture and getting the club off to a positive start on the field as well.
Central Coast Mariners
In what could be the biggest upset of the season – the Central Coast Mariners travelled to Perth and took three points off the Glory.
Not only was it Alen Stajcic’s first win of the season but it was fully deserved against the reigning premiers, with young gun Sam Silvera stealing headlines for his superb goal to give the Mariners the lead.
Another tough away trip beckons, with a meeting with league leaders Melbourne City scheduled for next Sunday – giving the Mariners an opportunity to take another scalp.
Levante
In seven remarkable minutes Levante put three goals past Barcelona to come from behind and record a famous win at home.
Barcelona took the lead through a Lionel Messi penalty in the 38th minute but the Argentine did not produce much after that, with Levante keeping him to a quiet and ineffectual afternoon.
The win moves Levante within striking distance of a European spot, sitting just three points behind sixth placed Granada – who went down to Real Sociedad.
Losers
VAR…again
Just when the A-League was starting to appreciate the VAR, it failed to rectify a clear and obvious error which proved costly for the Wellington Phoenix.
Louis Fenton’s mid and post-match outburst reflected the mood at AAMI Park when a penalty was awarded after the ball struck the arm of Fenton after deflecting off his body, which under new IFAB rules is deemed as accidental.
What makes the incident all the more infuriating is the VAR had the chance to review and chose to uphold the decision.
The subsequent penalty saw City extend their lead and put the result out of reach for the Phoenix.
Bayern Munich
After defeating Tottenham 7-2 a month ago, who would have thought it would be Niko Kovac sacked before Mauricio Pochettino?
The German champions are on the search for a new manager after a disappointing start to the season by their standards – sitting in fourth after ten rounds.
Despite winning the league and cup last season Kovac was shown the door, with his side’s 5-1 loss on the weekend appearing to be the final straw.
The club has been heavily linked to former Juventus boss Max Allegri.
West Ham United
The Hammers have not been the same since Lukasz Fabianski went down.
They are without a win in their last five and on the weekend produced their worst performance of the season – conceding three goals at home to Newcastle United.
Despite pulling two late goals back, the match was over before West Ham knew it – with the Londoners lucky to not be four-or-five down at the break.
This recent slump overshadows a positive start to the season, with angst beginning to build among the club’s passionate supporter base.
