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Adelaide United have defeated Melbourne City 3-1 in Saturday night's A-League game at Adelaide's Coopers Stadium.

Melbourne City's Scottish international Jack Hendry has suffered a suspected serious knee injury during a 3-1 A-League loss to Adelaide United.

Hendry, in his second A-League appearance after being loaned by Celtic, dug his right knee into the turf and landed awkwardly in the last 15 seconds of Saturday's night fixture in Adelaide.

City coach Erick Mombaerts says an initial diagnosis on Hendry, who has won three caps for Scotland, was unknown but the 24-year-old "has a big injury".

"For me, it's most important ... the injury of Jack," Mombaerts said.

"We can lose a game, we will be better next time. But if we lose this player for a long time it will be a big problem for us.

"I don't know exactly but I think it's a big injury."

A Ben Halloran brace propelled Adelaide United to a valuable victory, with teammate George Blackwood also scoring at Coopers Stadium.

The fifth-placed Reds drew level on points with fourth-placed Wellington Phoenix.

"We didn't give a lot away and we controlled the game," Adelaide coach Gertjan Verbeek said.

City's Craig Noone scored in a lacklustre showing from the visitors - but he also gifted Halloran's first goal with a defensive blunder.

In the 12th minute, Noone shanked an attempted clearance from a scrambled corner - the ball fell invitingly to Halloran who hammered into the net with a first-time driven left-footer from 10 metres.

Noone made amends just two minutes later when he too produced a low, driven left-footer which found the net from about the same distance to equalise.

Noone pounced after teammate Scott Galloway burst along the left flank and crossed, with Adelaide captain Michael Jakobsen's header failing to clear the defensive lines and falling into the Englishman's path.

The tide turned Adelaide's way just before halftime when Halloran, then Blackwood, converted sweetly-struck headers in a six-minute span.

In the 41st minute, a swinging Riley McGree corner deflected off Blackwood and City defender Curtis Good towards Halloran at the far post, who headed his fifth goal in the league this season.

Minutes later, a charging Blackwood latched onto a Nathan Konstandopoulos corner with the crispest of close-range headers, which gave City goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis no chance of stopping.

City's night worsened in the 75th minute when defender Harrison Delbridge was sent off - for the third time this season - for studs-up contact on Adelaide's Nikola Mileusnic.

Delbridge was initially yellow-carded after the front-on, sliding collision but referee Alex King, on video review, opted for a straight red.