At least one key Sydney FC player has been ruled out for next week and three others are being assessed after the Sky Blues defeated ladder-leading Western United 3-0 in a fiery A-League Women clash.
The Sydney side put on a classy performance on Sunday, coming out firing in the first half and finding the net three times in the second.
However, their fierce intensity and relentless pressure could cost them, with the playing status for a number of key personnel up in the air.
Fill-in skipper Natalie Tobin was sent off after being handed two yellow cards and will not be able to play next week against Wellington, while injured captain Madison Haley will hope to recover from a hip niggle in time.
Key defender Charlotte McClean and goalkeeper Jada Whyman are being medically assessed after a head-on collision in the penalty box left both looking dazed.
But star forward Princess Ibini said despite the uncertainty of her teammates, she was not worried about next week.
"This a massive win for us and put us in a good position being a few games behind (United)," she told AAP.
"We have plenty of girls that can come in and obviously (Tobin) is a big loss, but we know what we need to do and anyone that comes in can do the job."
United remain on top but are just three points ahead of Sydney, who have two games in hand.
While a flurry of injuries and yellow cards blurred the second half, the fiery partnership between forwards Cortnee Vine and Rachel Lowe proved just the magic the Sydney FC side needed to defeat the ladder leaders.
The Sky Blues came out looking dangerous but struggled to find the back of the net in the first half, despite several perfectly placed balls from midfielders Sarah Hunter and Mackenzie Hawkesby.
They quickly atoned in the second half, however, as Lowe scored within five minutes of the break thanks to a well-weighted through-ball from Vine on the right wing.
Only 10 minutes later the pair were on show again as Vine accelerated to the corner of the box and cut back to the goal line to find Lowe, who sneaked the ball past United goalkeeper Hillary Beall.
On the other wing, Ibini surged down the pitch but repeatedly struggled to gain inroads to the box thanks to some high-pressure defending from United's Angela Beard and Alana Ceme.
But Ibini's hard work paid off in the 81st minute when a deep pass from Tobin into the penalty area was swept up by the forward, making it 3-0.
The game was anything but mellow and yellow cards were also dished out for Sydney's Deborah-Anne de la Harpe, Hunter and Vine, and United's Julia Sardo.
The flurry of injuries and yellow cards meant all of Sydney's bench had a run, including 15-year-old Indiana Dos Santos in her A-League debut.
Strong performances from United's forward Hannah Keane and defender Beard were unfortunately backed by a lacklustre squad that struggled to keep up with Sydney's quick pace.
