Flannery echoed the heroics of United's round-one triumph to hand Vicki Linton's outfit a 2-1 win over the defending champions at Viking Park on Sunday afternoon.

City had come back from a goal down and the round-two clash looked like it would finish in a stalemate, until the returning Canberra star struck a spectacular deciding goal in injury time.

It means the joint record held by United, City and the Brisbane Roar of 18-unbeaten matches stays unmatched.

"We keep leaving a bit late, to be honest. I think we're giving Vicki and the crowd a heart attack," Flannery smiled.

"I knew there was only a few seconds left of the game, so I thought I'd just try my luck and give it a crack. Somehow it came off, it was my lucky day.

"I'm so glad we got the result. It's been a tough few days having to play two games in the space of five days. I'm so happy we got it."

Canberra took control from the outset but struggled to convert its first-half chances, with early attempts from Michelle Heyman and Demi Koulizakis failing to reach the target.

The 1398-strong crowd thought Flannery scored in the 21st minute when she received a cross from Paige Satchell. But referee Casey Reibelt ruled it out and brought play back for a goal-kick because the ball went out before the Kiwi's delivery.

Satchell's rapid runs down the flank caused headaches for City but the striker was called thrice for offside before pulling the trigger.

City coach Rado Vidosic was frustrated with his team's lack of forward play but they began to counter Canberra's threat in the second half, forcing goalkeeper Sally James to make five saves.

"Sally is new to the league and this level, she's growing each game. She pulled that out and we needed her to do that, she's done a great job there," Linton said.

Canberra broke the deadlock in the 73^rd minute via Heyman's boot, with the veteran striker bending the ball past Teagan Micah from a beautiful over-the-top pass from Lauren Keir.

But City responded just four minutes later when captain Jenna McCormick beat James with a header into the top-left corner.

Flannery's flourish made the difference, leaving Linton pleased with how her players have lifted each week to close out the match.

"The spirit in this team is very good but to do that is impressive," Linton said,

"It would be nice to do that a little bit earlier but I know it's great for the fans. It's really good to show we can dig that deep and it means that much for these players to put that effort in to win.

"I'm really pleased with the tactical discipline because we only had a few days' turnaround. You can really see the progression from game one to game two.

"There was a physical battle to overcome and they found a way to win, I'm really pleased with that."

Canberra face another short turnaround before meeting Brisbane at Dolphin Oval on Thursday night.

W-LEAGUE ROUND 2

CANBERRA UNITED 2 (Heyman 73' Flannery 90+3') bt MELBOURNE CITY 1 (McCormick 77') at Viking Park on Sunday. Crowd: 1398.