Two goals from skipper Robbie Cornthwaite have helped put Western Sydney Wanderers in sight of guaranteed finals football with a 3-0 win over Newcastle.
The Jets created the better chances in the first half of Saturday's round 25 A-League game at McDonald Jones Stadium before the Wanderers made the most of theirs in the 40th and 42nd minutes.
Cornthwaite wrong-footed goalkeeper Jack Duncan with a header off a Nicolas Martinez cross to score before Jaushua Sotirio finished a well-worked free-kick move.
Jack Clisby hit a short ball to the right to Jumpei Kusukami, whose touch inside found an unmarked Sotirio.
His strike went through the legs of Duncan for 2-0.
In the 50th minute, Cornthwaite beat opposite number Nigel Boogaard in the air again to score with a header, this time off a Martinez corner.
With two rounds to play, the Wanderers' third win in a row lifted them to fifth place on 34 points, one point ahead of Perth, who drew with Adelaide on Friday night.
Western Sydney are eight points clear of seventh-placed Wellington, who need to beat Melbourne Victory away on Sunday to have any chance of knocking the Wanderers out of the top six.
The loss was Newcastle's fourth in a row and dropped them to ninth on 22 points, behind Adelaide on goals.
The Jets' frustrations were on show when assistant coach Clayton Zane launched a sideline spray at Andrew Hoole after he was substituted in the second half.
AAP