Wanderers flip ALM script in Sydney win

Rewind to a month before Saturday's derby and the difference in fortunes of Sydney's two biggest A-League Men clubs could not have been more stark.

Steve Corica's Sky Blues had come out of a sticky patch in the early part of the season and were looking like a team that could challenge for honours once again.

By contrast, Western Sydney Wanderers were a shambles after Carl Robinson had been shown the door for failing to spark the league's sleeping giants from their slumber.

Fast forward to the present and it's Sydney who are in trouble with no wins in their last five while the Wanderers are now on the cusp of an improbable finals spot under new boss Mark Rudan.

The Wanderers took the three points at Commbank Stadium thanks to a Tomer Hemed penalty and a Keanu Baccus header but in truth the 2-0 scoreline didn't reflect how dominant Western Sydney were.

A team that in weeks gone by had looked scared of conceding and only sparked into action when they went a goal down suddenly seemed emboldened.

The Wanderers are now one win behind the Sky Blues in the league and have enjoyed three victories from seven under Rudan.

Even in games they have lost they have shown greater resolve than they ever did under Robinson.

With Rudan's long-term future as manager secured and chief executive John Tsatsimas announcing he'll step down - sparking a return of their raucous fans - this felt like a springboard for a new dawn for the Wanderers.

"I think that's why tonight is important," said Rudan.

"We want to build on this. We want consistency and we want the fans coming back and to be proud of what they see.

"We want this football team to represent this club in the right manner.

"The fans are hard-working and want to see a bit of fight, grit