Brisbane Roar have returned to the top of the A-League table with a 1-1 draw at home to Melbourne City.

During the early stages, Aaron Mooy almost curled a free kick into the corner for Melbourne, only to see the effort go wide, before goalkeeper Jamie Young was forced into a save to deny Erik Paartalu.

Up the other end, Thomas Sorensen made a solid stop from Jamie Maclaren, but the two teams would head into half time on level terms.

However, two minutes into the second half, Melbourne went in front through Harry Novillo, who capitalised on an error from Young to convert the ball into the net.

Chances were few and far between as the game entered the final quarter, but 20 minutes from time, Henrique netted for the second game in a row after providing the finish from Thomas Borich's perfectly weighted pass.

During the closing stages, neither team could create a clear-cut opportunity, but that allowed Brisbane to secure the result that moved them one point clear of Melbourne Victory.