Kevin Pietersen got under Mitchell Johnson's skin on Saturday but Australia may have the last laugh after another England batting collapse.
Australia will resume on Sunday's fourth day of play in the fourth Ashes Test on 0-30 after England had set a target of 231 to win at the MCG.
Already leading 3-0 in the five-match series, Australia's hopes of a 5-0 sweep looked shaky when the home side were bowled out for 204 on Saturday, a first-innings deficit of 51.
England put on 65 for the first wicket and even at 5-173 their chances of setting a target of around 300 looked solid.
However the tourists lost 5-6 to crash to a total of 179 as spinner Nathan Lyon claimed 5-50 to join the 100-wickets club.
Johnson (3-25) has taken eight wickets in the match for Australia and 31 in the series, but the tearaway quick may have to face a second code-of-conduct charge after his fiery clash with Pietersen.
Pietersen, who made 49, continued his habit of pulling away while the bowler was running in. Johnson reacted angrily in the 53rd over, throwing the ball back towards the batsman.
The two rivals' faces were only centimetres away from each other as they exchanged words.
Jonny Bairstow was batting with Pietersen at the time and tried to play down the incident as did Lyon, who suggested they were making dinner plans.
"There was a little baby who was crawling along the sightscreen just behind," Bairstow said.
"So I think health and safety might have been a bit cross if it (the ball) had hit it.
"There wasn't any real exchange."
Johnson and England's Ben Stokes were charged during the second Test in Adelaide for making deliberate physical contact, but both charges were dismissed.
Eleven wickets fell on a windy day three in front of a noisy crowd of over 63,000 on Saturday, with an action-packed day four to come.
If Australia win it would be the ninth-highest successful Test run chase at the MCG and the highest since December 1962.
After an opening stand of 65 was highlighted by a breezy 51 to skipper Alastair Cook, England lost 4-22 including three wickets in six balls.
The athletic Johnson threw down the stumps at the bowler's end to run out Root and two deliveries later Ian Bell was caught by Johnson at mid off for a golden duck at 4-87.
Lyon's heroics included dismissing tailenders Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad for ducks with the score on 174 to become the 35th Australian to claim 100 Test wickets.
Pietersen holed out to long off from Lyon's bowling and Monty Panesar was lbw to Johnson.
"Yeah, that's the first time in Australia. It's something I won't forget," the 29-Test veteran Lyon said of his fourth five-wicket haul.
"To have my family here, it's something pretty special."
England's batting collapse left both sides scratching their heads.
"We didn't expect that. But we knew if we bowled in partnerships and (kept) improving as a bowling unit that we possibly could crack open the game," Lyon said.
Bairstow added: "Not really sure I can explain what happened but it was disappointing."
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