Western Sydney have kept alive their A-League Men finals hopes with a thumping 4-0 away win over local rivals and fellow finals aspirants Macarthur FC.
Winless in their last four games, the Wanderers piled on three first-half goals at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Saturday night.
Steven Ugarkovic, Bozhidar Kraev and Ryan Fraser all netted before the break and Brandon Borrello added a fourth in the 70th minute.
Their second away win of the campaign lifted Gary van Egmond's side off the bottom and within five points of the sixth-placed Bulls.
"We played some good football in the first half in particular and we probably managed the game better than we have done previously when we've taken the lead," van Egmond told Network 10 and Paramount+.
"We probably still need to be a little bit better from the perspective of controlling the game a little bit more with the ball, but you win 4-0 away, you can't complain."
Wasteful Macarthur, now without a win in four games, had over 60 per cent possession and 13 more shots.
They lacked the Wanderers' finishing polish, getting just three of their 19 attempts on target, compared to the visitors' five out of six.
Second-half Bulls substitute Harrison Sawyer came closest, hitting the post with a header.
"Its a tough one to take but credit to the Wanderers, I think they came out here very determined and they took the chances that they created and I think they wanted it more," Macarthur coach Mile Sterjovski said.
"We have to pick ourselves up. I think it's been the story of our season where we've been inconsistent, but to create seven big chances tonight and not put one away is disappointing."
Western Sydney sliced through the Bulls defence in the sixth minute.
Ugarkovic slammed the ball in from close range for his first ALM goal since December 2024, following Alex Gersbach's perfect cutback from the left.
The Wanderers through they'd doubled their lead on 14 minutes, but Angus Thurgate was ruled marginally offside after slotting Ugarkovic's through ball home.
The ubiquitous Ugarkovic should have scored with a close range header, but Kraev converted a Borrello pass.
Bulls veteran Luke Brattan felt referee Daniel Elder obstructed him in the build-up, denying him a tackling opportunity, but replays showed that wasn't the case.
Sterjovski responded to the two-goal deficit by bringing on attacker Chris Ikonomidis for defender Tomislav Uskok in the 36th minute.
Just before halftime, recent recruit and Scottish international Fraser maintained his excellent scoring record, netting for a fourth time in six games.
Young Bulls goalkeeper Alex Robinson tried to play the ball out of defence, but inadvertently passed to the former Premier League attacker, who chipped the ball over the stranded custodian from the edge of the penalty area.
Macarthur's profligacy continued in the second half, with Western Sydney not creating many chances, but keeping a clean sheet.
A magnificent run down the left and cross from the impressive Dylan Scicluna set up a sliding Borrello for his first goal in open play in over 20 matches.
