Brisbane Roar 1 Melbourne City 0: MacLaren secures third straight win

Brisbane Roar extended their winning run in the A-League to three games with a 1-0 victory over rivals Melbourne City on Friday.

The hosts capitalised on a promising start to strike the decisive blow after 11 minutes, Jamie MacLaren pouncing on a loose ball to net his second goal of the campaign.

Brisbane's well-organised defence were then able to keep the ever-improving City at bay as the visitors - led by Bruno Fornaroli and Tim Cahill - searched for an equaliser.

MacLaren should have made the Roar's victory comfortable on a number of occasions but was unable to find the quality in front of goal to double his tally.

The victory lifts Brisbane into the top two of the fledgling table, jumping above their opponents as they reached the 10-point mark after five matches.