Finals-bound Perth Glory enhanced its reputation as the A-League's best traveller with a 3-0 triumph in Adelaide yesterday.
The Glory, through goals to Shane Smeltz, Steven McGarry and Liam Miller, rose to fourth on the ladder as second-last Adelaide United sank further into the mire.
Perth stretched its unbeaten streak to seven games - including a remarkable five away fixtures.
The Glory moved to one point behind third-placed Brisbane with the win.
Perth defender Bas van den Brink had mixed feelings after his side's unimpressive start to the match.
''We just got away with murder today,'' van den Brink said.
''Fortunately we got away with it, had a bit of luck and turned it around.
''It's looking good now but we have to stay normal and just think about the next game. Every game is going to be tough.''
Adelaide United coach John Kosmina was angered by the lack of character of his players.
''We got booed off the park,'' Kosmina said.
''They weren't booing the football, they were booing the character, they were booing the fact we caved in again.''
Smeltz and McGarry scored in a six-minute, opening-half burst which came after Adelaide striker Bruce Djite butchered three golden chances at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Djite inexplicably hit a side post from five metres out in the seventh minute with Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic well beaten. Five minutes later, the Reds striker missed another sitter when a close-range attempt sailed over the crossbar from prime scoring position.
And within a minute, Djite was exasperated again - having turned his defender, he squeezed a right-foot shot across the goal face.
Perth then made Djite and Adelaide pay the ultimate price, with Smeltz poaching his third goal in two matches in the 14th minute.
Adelaide's shock at Smeltz's against-the-flow goal turned to utter dismay in the 20th minute when McGarry found himself in the path of a deflected Todd Howarth shot.
McGarry instinctively swung his leg and all but kicked the ball from the hands of Adelaide keeper Eugene Galekovic and into the net.
After protecting its 2-0 for much of the second half, Perth's Miller put an 82nd-minute exclamation mark on the result with a clever goal.
Miller sliced through lax Adelaide defence, neared the penalty spot and coolly slotted low past the despairing dive of Reds skipper Galekovic.
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