Jamie Maclaren has scored a hat-trick to break Besart Berisha's A-League Men goals record and lead Melbourne City to a 3-1 win over Western United that effectively ends their rivals' finals hopes.
Maclaren bundled home his first goal at AAMI Park in the 13th minute before Dylan Pierias responded in the 38th.
The striker's second goal, his 142nd in the league across 201 appearances for Perth, Brisbane and City, arrived in the 66th.
Socceroos striker Maclaren tapped home goal No.143 eight minutes later to surpass former Brisbane, Victory and United striker Berisha's mark and seal victory for premiers City.
The 29-year-old is second in all-time Australian league goal scorers only to Damian Mori, who notched an extraordinary 240 goals in the NSL.
Maclaren has won three premiers plates at City and was a part of their championship-winning squad in 2020-21, but has yet to play in a winning grand final.
With 23 goals this season, he is en route to a fourth consecutive golden boot and fifth overall.
City took the lead when Andrew Nabbout whipped in a pinpoint cross and Maclaren bundled a back-post past a helpless Jamie Young.
United equalised when Nikolai Topor-Stanley launched a long cross-field ball into the area and Pierias pounced to sneak it past Tom Glover.
The defending champions should have taken the lead on the counter in the 56th minute but a casual Aleksandar Prijovic hit a shot straight at Glover.
Instead, City pounced.
Two minutes after entering the fray on his return from a hamstring injury, Mathew Leckie slipped through Maclaren to power home his record-equalling strike.
Retiring centre-back Topor-Stanley denied Maclaren his hat-trick with a reflexive block in the 73rd minute.
But barely seconds later, Richard van der Venne picked up the loose ball and fired a cross in for Leckie.
The Socceroo's header forced a super Young save but Maclaren pounced on the rebound and toe-poked a left-footed shot into the roof of the net to coolly complete his hat-trick and make history.
United were unable to mount a comeback, meaning their championship defence effectively ends in a whimper.
John Aloisi's charges are only three points outside the top six but their poor goal difference (-14) has put paid to hopes of leapfrogging either Sydney FC or Wellington.
