In a game New York City FC had labeled must-win, they did just that … barely. On a day they admitted they needed the full three points, NYCFC had them all but wrapped up before trying their best to give them back, barely holding on for a nervous, 3-2 victory over first-place Philadelphia.
The good news is NYCFC finally got its stars aligned, getting goals from David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard for a 3-0 lead. But after Jason Hernandez got sent off in the 85th minute and Frederic Brillant conceded an own goal three minutes later — his second in as many games — they had to hold on for dear life in front of 27,456 fans at Yankee Stadium.
It was their first win since May 15 and just second of the year at home, vaulting NYCFC (5-5-6, 21 points) to within two points of the Union. But Villa was visibly upset on the field after their late meltdown, declining to meet the press.
“It’s something we need to put to bed. It’d be great to see out a game comfortably,’’ said Lampard, who swept home a deflected shot off the foot of Tommy McNamara to open the scoring in the 8th minute.
“We needed to dig in and showed character, but at the same time they score in the last minute and we’re back to where we were in the last few games where this happens. We have to work on that, work on our reaction when we’re winning. We concede a goal, all of a sudden we’re nervous and a bit panicky. We need to work on that and be a bit more strong, react in a better way.”
Villa nearly doubled the lead with an audacious 50-yard chip that hit the crossbar, then got his goal in the 21st minute when rookie Jack Harrison made a long run in on goal and laid the ball off for a beautiful finish. Pirlo made it 3-0 with a bending free kick around the wall into right corner, leaving GK Andre Blake flat-footed.
But NYCFC conceded in the 54th minute when Fabian Herbers got taken down in the box and Roland Alberg converted. Then it got truly dicey when Hernandez got sent off in the 85th. NYCFC, who had surrendered five leads at the Stadium this year, taking just three minutes to concede.
“I decided I was bad luck so I stopped watching. … I came in the bathroom and just sat in silence until I thought the game was over,’’ Hernandez said. “What you saw is a team that’s had a lot of unluckiness and misfortune towards the last dying minutes of games, so you saw a really nervy team, a team that was really tense.”
Brilliant, who committed an own goal on June 2, did it again to cut the lead to one. NYCFC held on, but not before Villa voiced his displeasure.
“He was frustrated as we all were that we went didn’t close out the game. We’re all passionate here and David’s passionate. We didn’t want to be a position from being 3-nil to having a nervous last five minutes,’’ Lampard said. “I’d rather have David caring about it in that way than not caring.’’
A Union player went down in the box late, and after advantage was played, they came up empty. Time was called with their appeals for a penalty ignored.
“I know that was a penalty at the end of the game, 100 percent,’’ Union coach Jim Curtin said. “I guess in that big of a moment for the referee it’s a tough decision in their building to make that call. But it’s a foul. It’s a penalty kick.”