Kenny Lowe says the key to Perth's A-League success is how well they outsmart their better-resourced rivals.
The Glory were roundly written off before Friday night's clash against Melbourne City, given no chance at AAMI Park against a star-studded outfit that had so ruthlessly disposed of Melbourne Victory 4-1 the weekend prior.
But Lowe's men shattered City's derby delight in a famous 3-2 win that reminded the league why they too are very much in title contention.
Andy Keogh's match-winning hat trick aside, Perth's tactics shut down John van 't Schip's vaunted attack, their compact set-up disrupting their opponents' rhythm and providing a raft of opportunities on the counter.
The well-drilled display was a lesson on how to outfox the league's big guns.
"The whole league has gone up a level and the two Melbourne clubs and Sydney clubs are at the forefront of that," Lowe told AAP.
"They're in front of everybody with resources and recruitment ... so we've got to be smarter in the way we do things.
"If we don't have all that we've got to find other ways to maximise our edge."
The fiery win gave unbeaten Perth seven points from three games and lifted them top of the table leading into Sunday's matches between Wellington and Sydney FC and Western Sydney and Newcastle.
The stars will further align with key trio Adam Taggart (calf), Shane Lowry (hip) and Rhys Williams a chance to return for next week's trip to Brisbane.
But Lowe himself could miss the game if the match review panel decide to punish the coach after he was sent to the stands for his heated halftime altercation with referee Alan Milliner.
City will look to reinstate some spark in time for Tuesday night's blockbuster FFA Cup semifinal with Victory, when Kevin Muscat's troop seek revenge buoyed by Saturday's 2-1 defeat of the Reds.
The defending champions attempted twice as many shots as the Victory yet slumped to a second-straight defeat after Marco Rojas ended the frantic meeting with a stoppage-time goal.
"The better team definitely lost that one," said Adelaide's goalscorer Tarek Elrich.
"We created all those chances and hit the post. Sometimes football is unfair."
Brisbane claimed their first victory of the campaign with a 1-0 win over strugglers Central Coast.
The display was an improvement on last week's humiliating 4-0 loss to the Jets but the Roar will need to step up their game further to challenge Glory and City at Suncorp Stadium over the next two rounds.