English striker Millie Farrow has scored a hat-trick to steer Perth Glory to a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Melbourne City and move her side top of the A-League Women table.
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In Saturday's other ALW match, new Western United coach Kat Smith got a win in her first game at the helm as Adriana Taranto scored twice - with both goals assisted by her twin sister Mel - in a 3-1 victory at Adelaide United.
The Glory's win at BT Connor Reserve was enough for Perth to leapfrog City on goal difference and have them believing they are genuine contenders.
"The big thing is instilling the belief and when you put on a performance like that for 95 minutes and you go toe-to-toe with a standout team, then that belief then becomes internal and it just will drive us for the rest of the season," coach Alex Epakis said.
"If we focus week in, week out, we give ourselves a real chance to do something special this season.
"(Silverware is) the aim. I'm a winner. The player are winners and we've been building for a while now and we're ready to give this a real serious crack."
City took the lead in the 17th minute when Wilkinson met Tijan McKenna's floating cross and looped a header home.
Captain and gun defender Rebekah Stott sat out the game through illness, and City clearly missed her defensive surety.
In the 32nd minute, Perth's Quinley Quezada slipped through Farrow, who rounded Canadian keeper Lysianne Proulx to equalise.
Then in the 55th minute, Perth snatched the lead when Anton burst down the left and cut the ball back for Farrow to bury first time.
The former England youth star iced the victory when she burst away from Karly Roestbakken to latch onto a long ball from Anton, then rounded Proulx.
"We give teams a sniff and at the moment, we're conceding far too many to give ourselves a chance," City coach Dario Vidosic said, lamenting three defensive lapses.
"Unfortunately we can't score four every week. We'll learn from today.
"We'll regroup again now that we've got everyone back and we'll go for it again.
"So one small setback, but we're still equal top so it's not all doom and gloom."
In Adelaide, the visitors took the lead in the 45th minute when Mel Taranto burst forward down the right and slid the ball across the face of goal for her sister to tap home at the back post.
Western United doubled their advantage in the 66th minute when Adriana Taranto coolly volleyed home after a floated cross from sister Mel.
Adelaide got a goal back five minutes later when Chelsie Dawber caught Alana Cerne dawdling on the ball, dispossessed her and scored.
But the visitors rounded out their win when Lucy Richards hit the ball over the top to Hannah Keane, whose calm finish made it 3-1 deep into added time.
Western United move up to fifth, while winless Adelaide sit 11th.
Australian Associated Press
