Västerås beat Häcken 3-1 at the Nordic Wellness Arena on Saturday afternoon. The visitors took control in the first half and held on after their opponents went down to ten men. It was a result that shifted the momentum between two sides sitting close in the table.
S. Gefvert opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and B. Lendambi doubled the lead four minutes later. By then Häcken had already seen Leo Väisänen sent off in the 42nd minute, and the game turned. M. Hellisdal made it 2-0 in the 61st minute before C. Wawa added a late third in the 78th.
Häcken had more possession at 48 per cent but their shots went nowhere. They registered eight shots on target and eight off target, yet only converted one. Västerås matched them with eight on target and eight off, but found the net three times. The visitors also completed more tackles and won more aerial duels.
Both sides made several changes in the second half. Västerås brought on three players together in the 63rd minute, while Häcken made their substitutions in two groups. The home side kept pressing but could not find a way back after the red card.
After the match Häcken stayed fifth with 31 points from 19 games. Västerås moved up to eighth with 29 points, closing the gap to two. The result ended Häcken's run of four unbeaten matches and gave the visitors something to build on.