Advantage in the A-League Women premiership race has swung back to Sydney FC after Canberra United upset Western United 3-0 at City Vista Reserve, bolstering the Canberrans' playoff push in the process.
Their season reinvigorated on the news their appeal to overturn a forfeit defeat against Sydney was upheld, two goals from Vesna Milivojevic and a strike from Chengshu Wu ensured Canberra would end Saturday afternoon inside the ALW's top-four.
Melbourne Victory can relegate them back to fifth on Sunday, but the win ensured the side from Australia's capital will have something to play for against Melbourne City in the final round of the season next week.
Placed in control of the premiership race by that redistribution of three points from Sydney back to Canberra, Western could have guaranteed themselves a premiership in their maiden ALW campaign with back-to-back wins in the season's final two weeks,
But their defeat and Sydney's win over Adelaide in a simultaneous kick-off means the Sky Blues can now secure a third straight premiership with victories in remaining games against Perth and Newcastle, regardless of Western's result against Western Sydney next week.
The hosts were stunned just 39 seconds into the contest when a calamitous error from Hillary Beall saw the Western goalkeeper pass the ball straight to Milivojevic, who returned it over her head and into the net from the top of the penalty area.
Despite losing Emma Robers to injury in the 22nd and their rhythm being frustrated, Hannah Keane and Adriana Taranto did go close to equalising.
But Canberra killed any comeback hopes off when Milivojevic was played through by an inch-perfect pass from Michelle Heyman for her second in the 65th and Wu threaded a shot from the top of the box through a wall of bodies nine minutes later.
