Brisbane has cemented its position at the top of the table with a 4-0 thrashing of previous pace-setters Adelaide, who suffered their second straight loss.
The Roar were reduced to 10 men when striker Reinaldo received a second yellow for dissent, but instead of lifting Adelaide, Brisbane then scored three goals to assert themselves at the top of the table.
Adelaide were without attacking pair Marco Flores and Matthew Leckie, and their absence was noted, with Brisbane's defence keeping the rest quiet and able to push the ball forward quickly.
Brisbane were near full strength, but were missing both full backs Shane Steffaunto and Ivan Franjic, with Milan Susak and Matt Mundy slotting in.
Adelaide had an astonishing record at Suncorp and have never been beaten by Brisbane in Brisbane. But this was a Roar side who were unbeaten at home in their last eight games and dropped just four points at home this season.
United came out of the blocks, starting spritely, looking to snatch back what was taken from them midweek.
Van Dijk, off season Roar defector, and didn't the crowd know it, had the first chance of the match in the sixth minute when he got ahead of Devere for a through ball into the area. His shot was well placed for the far post but Theoklitos managed to gather it in to save the early embarrassment.
With Travis Dodd still on the bench, Pantelidis retained the armband and was looking most likely in the opening stages, whipping lovely crosses in from the left.
The first of was just parried out by Theoklitos, but only as far as Barbiero, who laid it back for youngster Ramsay to have a crack, but the Brisbane defence forced enough pressure for him to spray it over.
The second should have had a better result for Barbiero, with the cross coming in low and in front of the three Roar defenders, Barbiero was the only one near the ball when he ran onto it and flicked the low volley just wide of the post.
The Roar continued to play their football though, and captain Matt McKay was as busy as ever, making a run for a long ball and being rewarded with a brilliant chance, his shot inside the box only stopped by Galekovic's left glove.
Their fluent easy passing build up play paid dividends however when minutes from the break Reinaldo received a pass and let it run past him into the box. The big man had enough power to hold off Adelaide defender Iain Fyfe, and waited for his chance to strike, hit the ball between Fyfe's legs and past Galekovic for the far post.
The big Brazilian abandoned his usual series of flips in celebration, and instead decided to remove his shirt and expose what can only be described as a sports bra, presumably some kind of performance tracking device and not just for support. Referee Matthew Breeze booked the striker, and rightly so, this is a family event.
After the restart Reinaldo was again involved in the action when in the 53rd minute he was chasing down a through ball and his arm was pulled by Cornthwaite. A clear professional foul, but it would be a tough argument to say a goal scoring opportunity, and as such referee Breeze awarded a yellow to Cornthwaite, Reinaldo, unhappy with this had a few words with the ref, only to be shown a yellow himself, followed by a red. So a dismissal for over zealous goal celebration and dissent, not something Postecoglou will look on favourably surely.
So Brisbane were down to 10 men, but still had a free kick on the edge of the area. Broich lined up to give the home side what they really needed now, a boost. The ball went sweetly off his boot, into the wall.
Devere leapt on the rebound and held the ball up, looking for a pass. Paartalu ran down the right and got the pass from Devere. He then beat his defender and played the cut back across. Big centre back Matt Smith, who was also up for the freekick was the first to the ball and smashed it into the net. A massive defenders goal and just what the Roar needed after losing a man.
But it didn't stop there. This time it was the usually attacking force of Broich Barbarouses and Nichols to formulate a chance. On the 62nd minute, Broich turned his defender and had a job down the wing before playing the easy pass to Barbarouses on the edge of the box. Kosta then turned and played it for Nichols in the centre and made his run. Nichols saw it quickly and returned the One Two, leaving Barbarouses in acres of space, the Kiwi cooly slotting the ball past Galekovic with his left.
Brisbane continued to press on the counter and when Luke Devere gathered the ball from an Adelaide corner he charged down field on what Barbarouses later aptly called “one of his Maradona runs”. The big defender has developed a knack for marauding skilful runs downfield on the counter. He had made it to about 25 out and shaped to shoot, but thought better of it and slid it next to him for Kosta to have a dig. His shot was magnificently placed for the top corner and although Galekovic was able to get a finger to it, it wasn't enough to keep it out.
Four-Nil is the biggest margin posted against Adelaide since Feburary 2009, and Brisbane never really looked like conceding, even with one less man. The best chance again fell to ex-Roar played Sergio Van Dijk when he took a brilliant free kick right in front 25 out. The ball curled around the wall, but Theoklitos was equal to it, tipping the ball over the bar.
The victory is a great result for the form side of the competition and United coach conceded the result was fair, saying after the match “It's definitely the best team we play against and definitely the best team in the league.” But he did admit to missing his two form players, saying "If we want to beat them our full squad has to be available."
Postecoglou said he was very proud of his team and that although they had "many ready made excuses" they stood up to the challenge. With this their sixth game in three weeks, the Roar showed no signs of fatigue, with this possibly one of their best performances of the season.