A-League: Le Fondre on target as leaders Sydney thrash Victory

Sydney FC went 13 points clear at the top of the A-League after coming from behind to hammer Melbourne Victory 4-1.

The league leaders fell behind in the fifth minute, Marco Rojas breezing past Alex Wilkinson all too easily before rifling home an early opener.

Yet Milos Ninkovic levelled prior to half-time and Sydney led when Anthony Caceres curled a 64th-minute effort in off the post from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later Le Fondre, the A-League's top scorer this season, chipped over Lawrence Thomas for his 16th goal of the season, with Giancarlo Gallifuoco only diverting the ball into the corner with his desperate intervention on the line.

The hosts ended the game with 10 men when last-man Tim Hoogland was somewhat harshly dismissed for a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge on substitute Trent Buhagiar in the area three minutes from time.

With Le Fondre off the pitch, Kosta Barbarouses stepped up and converted the penalty to make it 4-1 and leave Graham Arnold's side 13 points clear of Melbourne City, who they also have a game in hand on.

Besart Berisha, the A-League's all-time top scorer, added another two to his tally in Western United's 5-1 demolition of Adelaide United.

Riley McGree had cancelled out Berisha's first, but Alessandro Diamanti, Max Burgess and Connor Pain all found the net before the visitors' prolific striker scored his second of the game and 15th of the season.

The win moved Western United above Adelaide into sixth.