Melbourne Knights came from behind to win 2-1 against Sydney United at Knights Stadium on Sunday evening to cement its Finals chances, although player-coach Andrew Marth wasn't counting his chickens yet.
"As far as I'm concerned, we need to win another three games," he said after the game. "You can't just say 'We've done our job' and go half-hearted next week. It's important to go into Finals with wins on the board."
Sydney United had taken an early lead when Commins Menapi headed home unmarked from six yards after a deep corner was headed back in by United captain Paul Bilokapic.
But Knights levelled midway through the half when Kresimir Marusic shot from 20 metres after United had failed to deal with a corner, and then Ivo De Jesus took the lead with a penalty at the half-hour after Toto Da Costa had been felled in the box by Sebastian Sinozic.
Knights was content to cede possession and territory from then on to protect the points, and happy to rely on breakaways to extend the lead.
Arrarte came to his side's rescue with a clearance off the line after Da Costa had shot past Vilson Knezevic when Joel Porter had connected with a corner to shoot into the box late in the half.
Daniel Watkins had a last-gasp first-half shot on the turn after a United corner which crashed off the Knights' bar with Knights' Darren McGrath well-beaten. McGrath had stepped in for usual goalkeeper Martin John, dropped for reasons Marth declined to expand upon, but indicated was not solely related to form.
De Jesus had a second-half shot which hit the bar after a clever cut-back from Porter, and Da Costa failed to finish after a storming run from the half-way line by Roddy Vargas cut the United defence apart in almost the last action of the contest.
United too had spurned second-half chances. Ante Deur saw Steve Horvat clear a shot off the line, and a promising free-kick on the edge of the area when Santalab was brought down by Sash Ognenovski was blasted into the wall.
United had made a double change at half-time, bringing on Ante Moric and Brendan Santalab for Goran Televski and Watkins, and had slightly more attacking flair as a result.
Both teams finished with just ten players on the park as first United's industrious midfielder Nahuel Arrarte, and then Knights' staunch defender Ognenovski were dismissed in separate incidents in the closing period of the game for accruing their second cautions.
Referee Craig Zetter was to book nine players including the double-bookings in a game where there was little spite, but plenty of bite in the tackles. Neither coach would be drawn on whether the bookings were over-generously awarded, although Marth has yet another issue to factor in to his team's push for the Finals.
United coach Branko Culina watched the game from the grandstand to where he had been banished by Soccer Australia edict for confronting a referee at the end of a game earlier in the season. And the story broke during the weekend that Soccer Australia would withhold any points United would gain from the match for financial reasons, but Culina brushed it off as irrelevant. "There's nothing to talk about because we didn't win the game," he said.
"We have got a few players out, so it's been difficult. We probably should have (drawn today's game) but that's pretty much been (the story of) our season," he said.