Adelaide: Adelaide United were crowned Australian A-League champions for the first time on Sunday, holding off a never-say-die Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 in a pulsating game.

Guillermo Amor’s team had home advantage and made the most of it, with 50,000 fans packing Adelaide Oval to see strikes from Bruce Kamau and Isaias put them 2-0 ahead at half-time.

The Wanderers - the only A-League side to have lifted an AFC Champions League trophy - never gave up and a magnificent goal from Scott Neville in the 58th minute set up a thrilling finale.

But it proved all too late with substitute Pablo Sanchez netting a third for Adelaide in the 90th minute, sending the crowd into raptures.