They may be the A-League's ladder leaders but Perth Glory are not the benchmarks - yet.
Glory coach Tony Popovic warned Perth still had plenty yet to prove despite reclaiming top spot with a stunning comeback 4-2 win over a 10-man Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
Perth arrived in Brisbane as the league's road warriors without an away loss to their name.
But they looked like road kill early as an Adam Taggart brace gave Brisbane a shock 2-0 halftime lead.
However, the match was turned on its head when Roar defender Daniel Bowles received a straight red card in the 58th minute for felling Glory standout Joel Chianese and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Neil Kilkenny scored truly before the Roar began to dramatically unravel.
Another penalty spot kick from an Aaron Reardon handball picked up by the VAR, an own goal by the unlucky Reardon and an Andy Keogh strike - all in the final 10 minutes - ensured Perth walked away winners.
The great escape was enough to convince most Perth were now the A-League yardstick.
But not Popovic, who was wary of making any bold claims despite Perth moving three points clear on top of the ladder after round 11.
The hard marker was not pleased that they conceded a late penalty spot kick to Taggart, which he ultimately missed to sum up the hosts' horror second half.
Asked if they could now handle any situation, Popovic said: "I don't think we are at that stage yet.
"We were cruising at 4-2 but we looked like we were chasing the game against 10 men for the last few minutes.
"There is a lot of work to do - we need to do better."
But there is no doubting Perth's away form.
They now have five wins and a draw from their six road games.
Now Popovic wants them to flex their muscle at home - starting with a tantalising Wednesday night clash with third-placed Sydney FC.
Defending champions the Sky Blues are on 23 points - the same as second placed Melbourne Victory, separated only by goal difference.
Perth take on a Sky Blues outfit buzzing from a 5-2 thrashing of Central Coast on Friday featuring captain Alex Brosque's first career hat-trick.
In Sunday's other A-League game, fourth-placed Melbourne City downed a 10-man Newcastle 2-1 after Jets' Ronald Vargas received a second yellow card in the first half.
On Saturday, Victory downed Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 in their first win without marquee Keisuke Honda and Adelaide United were held to a 0-0 draw by a 10-man Wellington.
Phoenix's Mandi was sent off for a reckless challenge and later received a three-week ban.
Australian Associated Press
