Canberra United's sputtering W-League title defence has suffered a potentially-mortal blow with a 3-3 draw against Perth Glory pushing the champions out of the top four with two rounds remaining.
Canberra sit two points adrift of Sydney FC who returned to form with a 4-0 win over Newcastle Jets to leapfrog the champions. Sydney's Kyah Simon enjoyed a hat-trick.
Brisbane Roar joined Perth at the summit, providing an ominous sign of their capabilities with a comprehensive 6-2 thrashing of strugglers Adelaide United.
The Glory lead on goal difference and meet the bottom two teams in the remaining rounds as they eye a maiden top-of-the-table finish.
Perth's match against Canberra remained in the balance until the final whistle with numerous chances at both ends.
The Glory, high on goalscoring confidence after a record-breaking 7-5 win over Sydney, were twice pegged back with defender Caitlin Cooper the scorer of the ultimate equaliser.
"We're happy we're still top but to get a three-all draw, by our standards, isn't good enough," said Perth skipper Collette McCallum.
"We made some silly mistakes which ended up costing us.
"The next two games are going to be vital because, if we want to finish top of the ladder and get a home final, we have to do a lot better than that."
Two-time champions Brisbane continue to build momentum and earned a share of the lead with their one-sided victory over Adelaide.
The Roar raced to a 3-0 halftime advantage before striker Emily Gielnik bagged a hat-trick.
In-form Melbourne Victory are on the verge of a third successive finals appearance after their 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
Powerful American striker Jessica McDonald scored twice as the Victory cancelled out a second-minute goal from Vanessa Hart.
The Victory, whose coach Mike Mulvey departed midweek for A-League side Brisbane Roar, remain a point shy of the leaders.
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