The tall midfielder rose at the near post after 91 minutes of deadlock at the Rectangular Stadium on Saturday to head home Mate Dugandzic's cross and send half of the 26,372 crowd into frenzied celebration.
The win handed Kevin Muscat's Victory side their first defeat of the season and Perth took full advantage, opening up a six-point gap at the top of the table with a 4-1 home win over Central Coast Mariners.
Ireland international striker Andy Keogh grabbed his seventh goal of the season and Chris Harold a brace as the Glory thrashed the hapless Mariners for their ninth win in 11 games.
The standout goal of the night, though, came from 17-year-old Danny De Silva, whose flick, swivel and volley from five metres outside the box will only add to his reputation as one of the most promising youngsters in Australian football.
Adelaide United, who beat Perth in the inaugural FFA Cup final last Tuesday, remained two points behind Victory in third place after a 2-1 defeat at Newcastle Jets on Friday.
Argentine substitute striker Jeronimo slotted the ball into the net from close range for the winner nine minutes from time to snap Newcastle's 10-game winless streak.
Wellington Phoenix leapfrogged Sydney FC into fourth place after a 1-0 win over the twice-champions at Sydney Football Stadium, striker Nathan Burns scoring his ninth and 10th goals of the campaign to give the New Zealand club the victory.
The match between Western Sydney Wanderers and Brisbane Roar was postponed to allow the Asian champions to play in the Club World Cup in Morocco, where they finished sixth in the seven-team tournament.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)
