NEW YORK – The Red Bulls are kings of New York.
Chris Duvall and Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice in a five-minute span early in the second half and Matt Miazga added an insurance goal to lift the New York Red Bulls to a 3-1 win over New York City FC in front of a sellout crowd of 48,047 at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Thomas McNamara scored the lone goal for NYCFC (4-8-5), who had their four-match unbeaten streak snapped, while the Red Bulls (6-5-5) made it two wins in a row after knocking off Real Salt Lake on Wednesday.
It was the second meeting between the burgeoning rivals after the Red Bulls prevailed in the first encounter, 2-1, at Red Bull Arena in May. The third and final showdown is back in Harrison, New Jersey, on Aug. 9.
McNamara put NYCFC in front just six minutes into the contest with his second goal of the season. The second-year midfielder took a Mix Diskerud cross that was headed on by Andrew Jacobson off his chest and slotted inside the far post.
Two minutes into the second half, Wright-Phillips leveled for the Red Bulls, one-timing a superb Sacha Kljestan cross with his left foot from 12 yards out.
The Red Bulls then took the lead in the 52nd minute off a free kick when Duvall hammered home at the far post after Anatole Abang headed on a Mike Grella cross.
Four minutes later, Wright-Phillips turned R.J. Allen around but put his low shot off the far post. Wright-Phillips had another chance for a second goal in the 65th minute when Kljestan played him in behind the NYCFC back line with a terrific through ball, but Josh Saunders got a piece of Wright-Phillips' shot, and the ball deflected out for another corner.
In the 73rd minute, Kljestan floated a free kick toward the back post, where Miazga rose up and snuck a downward header in to give the visitors a commanding two-goal advantage.
Kwadwo Poku had a chance to pull NYCFC back within a goal moments later, but he was denied when Luis Robles made a fantastic save. For the Red Bulls, just seconds after coming into the game, Manolo Sanchez took a cross from Sal Zizzo and hammered it off the post in the 84th minute. Sanchez had another opportunity late, but Saunders came off his line well to deny him.
New York City were left to rue their inability to build on their early lead. Just two minutes after McNamara had put NYCFC in front, Mehdi Ballouchy nearly doubled the lead, but he fired just wide of the far post.
In the 17th minute, Chris Wingert latched onto a Villa cross off a short corner, but the defender was unable to untangle the ball from his feet at the far post. Seven minutes later, Wingert was forced to leave the match with a right knee contusion following a nasty collision with Abang.
Next up for the Red Bulls is another game against a local foe when they host the New York Cosmos in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday night. NYCFC will take on the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo on Saturday.
