Western Sydney have missed a golden opportunity to confirm their first A-League Men finals berth in six years, instead drawing 2-2 with a Macarthur FC side that kept their own finals hopes alive.
The Wanderers had the chance to lock down their first finals appearance since the 2016/17 season when they travelled to Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday - a win would have put them on 37 points and meant they could not be ousted from the top six with three weekends left in the regular season.
But they were left to rue inaccuracy in front of goal and found themselves twice ambushed by the Bulls against the run of play.
Western Sydney would have considered themselves lucky to take any points away at all, though, after super subs Craig Noone and Al Hassan Toure combined in the first minute of added time to give Macarthur their first lead of the night.
Brandon Borrello, the Wanderers' most threatening player all game, pulled a point out of the fire with a header in the final minute that clinched a 2-2 result and his brace.
It took a gutsy effort from the undermanned Macarthur to deny the Wanderers, who had twice the number of shots as their rivals.
The Bulls would have all but kissed finals goodbye with a loss, and could have fallen to bottom of the ladder to end the weekend.
Working against their unlikely pursuit of points was an illness to stand-in skipper Tomislav Uskok, who was ruled out on game day.
Outgunned 4-0 in their last two clashes against the Wanderers, the Bulls brought good pressure to the opening exchanges.
They looked particularly likely through stand-in skipper Lachie Rose as the visitors scrambled to account for the absence of suspended skipper and defensive mastermind Marcelo.
Western Sydney blew bigger chances than their rivals but finally broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute after an attacking onslaught that began with a free kick inside the final third.
Macarthur goalkeeper Filip Kurto punched the original shot away but could not stop Borrello, whose strike from directly in front sailed 20 metres through traffic and into the bottom right of the net.
Just as the Wanderers looked primed to double their lead, Jake McGing beat defender Adama Traore inside the box and crossed to Rose, who thundered the ball home for 1-1.
The goal clearly lifted the hosts but Western Sydney had the better of the late chances. Kusini Yengi and Borrello both went close before Noone and Toure stunned the Wanderers at the other end.
It wasn't to be the last goal, though, as Borrello snuck another past Kurto.
Western Sydney need only one victory from their final three games to play finals football in Marko Rudan's first full season in charge, but the Bulls must keep winning to make a run up the ladder, and hope other results fall their way.
They'll have to do it without skipper Ulises Davila and Socceroo Daniel Azarni, who are missing the rest of the season injured.
