Vaughan Coveny's goal from the penalty-spot midway through the second half was enough to give South Melbourne the points against Sydney United in a closely-contested and entertaining encounter at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday evening.
The goal was Coveny's one-hundredth in the National League.
Sydney United had its own opportunity from twelve yards earlier in the half, but it was kept out after a fine double save by stand-in goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos.
"I thought both teams gave a lot," said winning South coach Stuart Munro after the game. "There were chances at both ends, penalty saves. I thought it had everything today. It was a terrific game."
Despite the loss, Sydney United coach Grant Lee agreed. "I thought it was a tremendous game of football. Both teams were very committed (and there was) action at both ends. The crowd would have enjoyed an incredible game."
A less expansive game might well have been in prospect given that South Melbourne was coming off the back of two successive defeats which had caused it to drop from top of the league into a chasing pack. Sydney United also had cause for nervousness after the mid-week hammering at the hands of local rivals Parramatta Power midweek when it conceded almost as many goals in that game as it had in the fourteen games prior.
But both sides threw off those shackles, and put together a game that could easily have been won by either, and which was graced by a bunch of young players in whom Australian football's future looks soundly based. Man-of-the Match Kristian Sarkies belied his young age with a high quality game in the centre of South's midfield, and was ably supported by Vince Lia, preferred by Munro over Paul Trimboli in the starting eleven.
A tight first half saw no goals, but plenty of opportunities - most of them crafted by South in a ten minute period midway through the half.
Con Boutsianis started proceedings with a well-taken free-kick from 25 metres which required an excellent save from United goalkeeper Liam Reddy to touch it over the bar for a corner.
Vince Lia - benefitting from his time in the National Youth Squad - was very industrious down the right. He took advantage of a clever step-over from Boutsianis on the quarter-hour to shoot just beyond the top corner from 18 metres out. Just minutes before he had brought out the best in Reddy from a similar position.
While the crowd was still abuzz, Coveny nodded down a Simon Storey cross from the left into the path of Boutsianis who blasted well over from ten metres.
United's main chance fell at the first-half's midpoint when he took advantage of poor ball control by the otherwise steadfast giant South defender Ante Kovacevic to run goalwards towards the now exposed Theoklitos only for the stand-in goalkeeper to pull off a fine save low down.
Reddy kept out South again just before the half-hour, touching over a scorching shot let loose by Michael Panopoulos after he'd beaten the United offside trap running onto a Michael Curcija through-ball.
"We had three or four very good opportunities to score," said Munro. "(Reddy) brought off some fantastic saves for them."
If South had shaded the first-half, it was United's turn in the early moments of the second.
Ten minutes after the re-start United was awarded a penalty when veteran defender Mehmet Durakovic clumsily pushed Brendan Santalab inside the area. Santalab took the spot-kick himself but Theoklitos was swiftly down to his right to make a blocking save, and then again for the follow-up.
Brendan Santalab almost made amends six minutes later when he outpaced Kovacevic and then cut inside. Just as he was about to shoot, Durakovic arrived on scene, clearing in unambiguous style.
But then came South's penalty, awarded when Reddy was adjudged to have tripped Coveny in the box, which brought up Coveny's century of NSL goals to give South a deserved lead never surrendered.
Theoklitos showed his penalty save was no fluke bringing of a sharp block from Anthony Doumanis's close-range effort. Brendan Santalab was first to the loose ball but the angle he was forced to contend with was overly tight and his shot flashed across the face of goal.
"We've come out with three points," said Munro. "We needed it. We didn't want to go three defeats in a row."
"Maybe a draw would have been a fair result," said Lee. "Especially in the light of (South's dominance) in the first thirty minutes. But then we settled down and we performed well."