Aloisi rues ref 'errors' in Wanderers loss

Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi has bemoaned two missed calls that he says take the gloss off Western Sydney star Mitch Nichols' stunning match-winning goal on Saturday night.

Nichols' 79th-minute in-swinging strike from outside the 18-yard box broke the deadlock in what was a tight and tense battle between the two title contenders.

But Aloisi was left frustrated by what he believed were two blatant errors by referee Kris Griffiths-Jones in the second half.

The first was a possible handball by Wanderers defender Jacob Pepper inside the penalty box in the shadows of full-time that would have given Brisbane an opportunity to level the match.

"The ball comes from a fair distance and hits his hand. It was pretty clear to me," the coach said.

Aloisi argued the second incident, involving substitute Brandon Borrello, was also deserving of a spot kick and detracted from what he labelled a "great goal" from Nichols.

"It would've been nice if we were just here to talk about a goal that deserves to be spoken about, but I was a bit disappointed in two decisions that we didn't get," he said.

"I don't know what you have to do to get a penalty."

The Roar went toe-to-toe with the Wanderers for most of the night, shading the home side in possession (55 per cent to 45), corners (nine to two) and shots (10 to seven).

But while he was heartened by their effort, he rued just one of their attempts on goal being on target in the 2-1 loss.

"We created a number of opportunities and it's frustrating to come away with nothing," Aloisi said.

"But in terms of the way the boys performed, I'm very happy, very proud of the way they are sticking with the structures and improving each game.

"We know the results will turn if we keep on improving on the way we played tonight."

The defeat leaves Brisbane with just one win in their past four matches and drops them to fourth on the ladder ahead of next week's clash with Wellington.