Adelaide United cemented its place at the top of the A-League with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Perth Glory in slippery conditions at Members Equity Stadium.

Adelaide fought back from a goal down thanks to impressive strikes from Ross Aloisi and exciting Chinese super substitute Shengqing Qu to further dampen the night for the 8,052 Perth fans.

Adelaide keeper Daniel Beltrame was given his marching orders on 69 minutes without a caution when he floored Glory winger Scott Miller when the ball was out.

Miller was pressuring Adelaide defender Kristian Rees down the left and seemed to have clipped Rees in a desperate lunge for the ball. Beltrame took offence and his aggression cost him dearly.

Rees managed an own goal to give Perth the on 20 minutes.

Glory defender Ante Kovacevic picked up a loose ball and sent a well-weighted pass into the final third for Despotovski to run onto. Beltrame ran off his line to blast it to safety, only to see the ball bounce off Rees running neck and neck with Despotovski - and speed into the open net.

Twelve minutes later Adelaide got back on level terms through a wonder goal from talisman Aloisi.

Seconds after Carl Veart failed to trouble Glory keeper Jason Petkovic with an overhead kick inside the box, Adelaide mounted another attack. An open Louis Brain received the ball and headed on to the free-running Aloisi down the right. The 32-year-old took the ball in his stride and expertly volleyed it past an outstretched Petkovic from metres outside the penalty box.

On 66 minutes, four minutes after going on as a substitute, Qu expertly delivered the winner.

Veart received a cut-back pass and found Qu on the edge of the penalty box. With his first touch of the game, he held off his marker and struck past Petkovic with his right foot to give Adelaide the lead it would never relinquish.

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