Western United rallied back from an early two-goal deficit to claim a memorable 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.
The A-League's newest club appeared destined to lose to a Melbourne rival for the second match in succession when Kristijan Dobras scored a mere 84 seconds after Ola Toivonen's classy sixth-minute opener.
But marquee signing Alessandro Diamanti quickly laid the foundation for the fightback with an excellent left-footed finish and the visitors were level inside a frantic opening half-hour, James Donachie turning into his own net under pressure from former Victory favourite Besart Berisha.
Mark Rudan's men carried the momentum into the interval and Scott McDonald supplied the winner fewer than five minutes after the game resumed, the ex-Australia international making space in the box for a deflected effort that deceived Lawrence Thomas.
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Goals proved more elusive in the earlier match as Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar settled for a 0-0 draw at Bankwest Stadium.
In-form Wanderers goalkeeper Daniel Lopar made several good stops to frustrate Brisbane, who squandered more than enough chances to deliver boss Robbie Fowler a first A-League victory.
The stalemate keeps Western Sydney a point clear at the top, although they could slide to second if Melbourne City beat Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.