New York Red Bulls came from two goals down to beat Chicago Fire 3-2 in a thrilling encounter in New Jersey this morning.
Fresh from his brace in the 3-0 win over DC United last time out, Bradley Wright-Phillips was the first to threaten but his header went just over on five minutes.
It would prove a costly miss as Damien Perrinelle fouled Kennedy Igboananike in the box eight minutes later, and Jeff Larentowicz converted the penalty with aplomb.
The Red Bulls initially responded well but their good work went to waste just before the half-hour mark when David Accam poked home inside the six-yard box to compound the hosts' woes.
Chicago had precious little time to enjoy their two-goal lead, however, as Wright-Phillips reduced the arrears almost instantly with a tidy finish inside the area.
Accam then curled just wide of the post on 36 minutes, before Mike Grella prodded home Lloyd Sam's ball to ensure parity at the break.
The hosts retained their momentum after the interval and Grella sent a fierce strike just wide of Sean Johnson's goal on 58 minutes in a miss that proved a sign of things to come.
On 71 minutes, Michael Stephens fouled Sam inside the box and Sacha Kljestan made no mistake from the penalty spot to thwart Chicago and seal a dramatic win.
Shane Callaghan
