Adam Le Fondre's stunning start at Sydney FC continued as the striker scored a brace in a 3-0 victory at Melbourne City on Friday.
The former Premier League forward reached seven goals in six appearances for Sydney to collect another win for Steve Corica's side, who moved three points clear at the top of the embryonic table.
There was none of the drama of last weekend's Sydney derby, which saw Western Sydney Wanderers coach Markus Babbel dismissed amid VAR controversy, as Corica's men bounced back from FFA Cup final disappointment.
Sydney took the lead in the 16th minute, Paulo Retre striking against his old club when he rounded off a fine team move by deflecting a Rhyan Grant shot through the legs of goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic.
Luke Brattan narrowly missed the target with an excellent effort from long range as Melbourne sought a first-half equaliser, Scott Jamieson then wasting an opportunity shortly after the restart.
But the points were made safe in the 61st minute by in-form striker Le Fondre, who made a well-timed run to meet a perfect Retre pass and dink a gorgeous finish over the onrushing Galekovic.
And Le Fondre struck yet again in stoppage-time, finishing off a pass from Milos Ninkovic by beating the defender on the line, as the premiers maintained their strong start to the season.
LE FONDRE | "I think we proved a lot of things after Tuesday night. We got some things out of our system and got the result we wanted." November 2, 2018
'Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar extend their contracts in Saudi Arabia? We play a facilitating job, but it’s down to the players and the clubs to decide' Saudi Pro League chief reveals how talks will work for out-of-contract duo
Nations League: Who are the ITV commentators and pundits for England vs Republic of Ireland?
