Monday 29 June 2015 08:28, UK
New York Red Bulls scored three second-half goals to complete a 3-1 win over rivals New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Sunday evening.
Bradley-Wright Phillips, Chris Duvall and Matt Miazga all scored after Thomas McNamara's early strike for City, although the visitors missed a glut of further chances to make the win even more comfortable.
Yet they should have been 3-0 down inside 15 minutes as City threatened to run riot in front of a raucous home crowd.
Mcnamara's goal (5) came as the Red Bulls failed to fully clear a corner and after the ball was swung back in, a flick-on landed at the feet of the wide man and he kept his cool to finish low past Luis Robles.
Mehdi Ballouchy then bent one inches wide through a crowded area before Chris Wingert failed to sort his feet out in time to make a good connection at the far post to David Villa's delicious cross.
Stunned into belated action, Red Bulls finally woke up as Kemar Lawrence grew in influence down the left-hand side, twice delivering superb balls across the face of goal without reward while Wright-Phillips also saw a tempting cross roll to safety with no one prepared to gamble.
City remained a threat - Villa's shot was saved at the near post by Robles - but the visitors continued to build momentum into the break with a series of balls into the box that City struggled to hack clear.
And they found reward immediately after half-time, Wright-Phillips meeting McNamara's cross on 47 with a sweet side-foot volley from 10 yards.
Four minutes later, they were ahead, this time Duvall rifling home from close range on the volley from Anatole Abang's looped header back across goal.
Still the Red Bulls poured forwards, Lawrence forcing Josh Saunders into an awkward punch before Wright-Phillips struck the post with a low shot across goal.
The former Charlton man then glanced a header just wide before missing his third gilt-edged chance in four minutes when he beat the offside trap only to see his shot superbly saved by Saunders.
But any fears that they would be punished for their profligacy were ended when more woeful defending allowed Miazga to rise and head home Sacha Kljestan's free-kick home on 73 and although Robles was required to pull off a wonderful reflex save to keep out Kwado Poku's half-volley, City were largely reduced to Villa potshots in their bid to retrieve something from the game.
Indeed, there was still time for Manolo Sanchez to hit the post in the closing minutes as Red Bulls secured their sixth win of the season to maintain their play-off push.
In Portland, the Timbers beat Seattle 4-1 for their second win over the Sounders in two weeks having knocked them out of the US Open Cup.
The Sounders are second in the West, three points behind leaders Vancouver. The Timbers are now just a point behind Seattle in third.
