Premiers City snatch dramatic win over Wanderers in ALM

Western Sydney coach Marko Rudan says premiers Melbourne City showed his charges the level they need to get to after a heartbreakingly dramatic 3-2 defeat that leaves the Wanderers in fourth ahead of the finals.

On a night where City hoisted their premiers plate in front of their home fans, the Wanderers, hunting a top-two berth, twice led to almost spoil the party.

But City twice fought back before Marco Tilio scored in the 93rd.

Central Coast (44 points) took second place by beating Adelaide 4-1, with the defeat condemning the Wanderers (41) to fourth place behind the Reds (42).

Rudan lamented a lack of concentration for all three conceded goals in Friday's clash.

"Tonight, it was a game where the premiers showed why they were just that," Rudan said. 

"You could say they had not much to play for in terms of table positions but they showed why they are as good as they are. We can learn a lot from that.

"Their mentality, their desire. It's not just their quality. We could see how hard they work for each other on and off the ball. 

"They deserve to be 10 points ahead of everybody else because they are on a different level as far as I'm concerned. We huffed and puffed, we stayed in the game and we got a couple of goals and there just wasn't enough tonight."

City and Central Coast get the first weekend of finals off, while the Wanderers are poised to face fifth-placed Sydney FC and Adelaide will host either Wellington or Perth.

City almost took the lead from the penalty spot after Andrew Nabbout went down under contact from Morgan Schneiderlin in the 24th minute.

But following a VAR review, referee Alireza Faghani overturned his decision.

Brandon Borrello drew first blood at AAMI Park, scoring off the back of Amor Layouni's wonderful 41st minute run, before Tilio equalised four minutes into the second half.

The Wanderers restored their lead after Nabbout needlessly fouled Adama Traore in the area.

Glover saved Borrello's penalty but couldn't hang on to the ball and Nicolas Milanovic reacted quickest to bury the rebound.

Nicolas Milanovic restored Western Sydney's lead in the 74th minute but Jamie Maclaren equalised a minute later.

Wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas brilliantly saved Nabbout's penalty in the 78th minute.

Coach Rado Vidosic revealed the players had decided weeks earlier that Nabbout, not all-time leading goalscorer Jamie Maclaren, would take spot-kicks.

Tilio struck again at the death to give City all three points.

"To lift a trophy at the end at home, and after a good win, after some really good play against an excellent team, I think it means even more to us," Vidosic said.

"We knew a few weeks ago we'd got the plate but this was another very important game for us to play and we didn't want to lose and then be sad while we are celebrating.

"But I think we were very good tonight and we deserved to win the game."