Brisbane Roar has comfortably defeated Adelaide United thanks to another stunning display from striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls.
Below are our three key conclusions from the 3-1 win.
Are Brisbane serious contenders?
Brisbane was amongst the teams many considered to not ruffle any feathers in 2021.
However, after tonight's victory sent them top of the table, we all might have to rethink that opinion.
Warren Moon has a settled squad, able to adapt to different challenges, and their win here was a great example of that.
The Reds strike partnership worked wonders last time out in their win over the Victory.
Understandably, Carl Veart continued that experiment.
Moon knew the Adelaide manager wouldn't change a winning formula, and therefore opted for a change of system to a back three.
This tweak would help the Roar have more numbers back in defensive scenarios and outnumber United's attack.
It worked a treat, with the pairing of Mohamed Toure and Kusini Yengi barely having a sniff all night.
They are now on a three-match winning run, but how they have won all games should breed confidence.
A stunning win against the Victory in Melbourne, a tough grind at Newcastle, and then a professional display tonight.
Keep this up, and anything is possible, particularly in this most unpredictable of seasons.
Awayday blues
What is it with Adelaide and playing away from home this season?
They had a promising season opener in Geelong against Western, where they could have snatched the points.
However, their last two displays have been dreadful.
Their 5-3 defeat at Perth was nothing short of embarrassing, whilst tonight they were once again outplayed, outfought and outthought.
The humid and stifling conditions in Redcliffe wouldn't have suited Veart's high-tempo, possession-based style, but Adelaide must find another way.
Moon might have now the tactical battle between the coaches.
However, the Reds' youngsters seem to be struggling to perform away from Coopers Stadium.
Their squad is very young, with only three players over the age of 30.
Young players often feed off a home crowd's energy and contrastingly struggle to face a tense environment created by opposition fans.
That might be one reason, but Veart also needs to think about another, more pragmatic alternative away from home.
The main man
If you read my season preview for Brisbane, I said that Dylan Wenzel-Halls "has shown glimpses of genuine promise, but needs more consistency at this level."
Well, the 23-year-old is genuinely starting to announce himself now, with tonight's brace making it four in four already this season.
He now has that consistency that I was talking about before the season began.
Right now, he might be Moon's most valuable asset.
His pace already makes him a nightmare, but that means nothing unless you have the constant desire to make runs in behind, which he did consistently tonight.
Michael Jakobsen is painfully slow in the Adelaide defence and had no chance of stopping another episode of the Wenzel-Halls show.
When you mix his pace with a predatory instinct in the box and impeccable finishing for someone of his age, you have a real talent.
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