That wraps things up from this one, but thanks for joining us on Tribe. This is Ryan Nixon (@NewYorkNixon) signing off.

For Western, it was a rather tame performance given the way they'd gone to Mt Smart earlier in the year to knock off the new boys, and they miss a golden chance to try bridge the gap to the teams at the top. They largely struggled to create going forward, with their own midfield talisman missing in Angus Thurgate. Riku Danzaki was bright down the right in the first half, while Ben Garuccio was his usual presence on the left flank, but all in all they struggled to threaten Paulsen's goal.

Western United did what they could to try get themselves back into the game, but they struggled to really create the clear cut chances they needed. When they did find openings, Auckland's defending was top notch, while Alex Paulsen was assured in keeping the clean sheet, commanding the area well and making a couple of key saves. It was an impressive performance from the visitors, especially considering they were missing Louis Verstraete, who so often does a key role in shielding the back four.

So Auckland march on with another win, extending their lead at the top for the time being, and doing so in difficult conditions. The match overall was not one of high quality, as the sides battled to adjust to the windy conditions, and struggled to really string together long periods in possession. Auckland in the first half really struggled to adjust, as they played into the breeze and couldn't exit their end. But just as it looked like we'd go to the half with the scores deadlocked, Guillermo May opened the scoring with a wonder goal, and Max Mata then tapped home another in stoppage time. It was a double smash and grab that gave Auckland a huge advantage, especially turning with the wind behind them in the second half.

Paulsen punches it away, before it's back into the area. De Vries inadvertently sends it back towards his own goal, but Elliot is there to hack clear.

A late corner as Russell releases Grimaldi down the right, but he can't get it past Smith inside the area.

Elliot knocks it by Garuccio down the right, and then gets upended to win the free kick. That should just about see it out, while Garuccio picks up a late card for the challenge.

BLOCKED! The ball back into the box drops for Botic, but Coulibaly gets his body in the road to block it at point blank range.