Sitting on a five-game unbeaten streak, the Columbus Crew was back at Lower.com Field in front of a sellout crowd to take on an MLS original in the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. After the Red Bulls once the previous meeting in New Jersey, the Black & Gold were able to get some revenge in a 2-1 win.

Columbus got the attack going early in the third minute when Christian Ramirez found himself in on goal alone against Red Bull goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, but the shot from the Crew forward was saved and ultimately whistled for offside.

Just 10 minutes later, the Black & Gold had a promising chance with playmaker Lucas Zelarayan finding midfielder Alexandru Matan through the middle. Matan was able to get around two defenders on the outside and take a shot on goal, but Coronel came up with another save.

In the 19th minute, Columbus found the breakthrough goal. Matan got free out wide and found forward Cucho Hernandez waiting at the center of the six-yard box. A central pass found Hernandez’s feet, as he backheeled the attempt into the back of the net, giving the Crew an early 1-0 lead.

Zelarayan almost doubled the lead in the 34th minute when his turn-and-shoot attempt just missed the post and the outstretched hand of the Red Bulls goalkeeper.

New York then quickly had an opportunity to level the match at the other end when a miscommunication by center backs Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen gave Red Bull forward Tom Barlow the one-on-one chance but Black & Gold goalkeeper Patrick Schulte stood tall to make the save.

Minutes later, a free header by Elias Manoel found the back of the net past Schulte, giving New York the equalizer. The 38th minute goal was well-deserved by the visitors, who did not relent after going behind 1-0.

Columbus came out in the second half with some tweaks, pushing players higher to better combat the Red Bull press. While it ultimately worked, the Crew continued to struggle against a tough New York side.

Schulte was forced into a save in the 54th minute when Manoel had a shot on goal from a tight angle resulting in a corner kick.

The Black & Gold found their second goal of the game in the 62nd minute. Hernandez played a ball over the top for wing back Mohamed Farsi who hit a cross to Yaw Yeboah on the other side of the field. The left wing back struck the ball on a half volley and while Coronel was able to get a hand on the shot, it wasn’t enough as the ball trickled into the back of the net.

After going down for a second time, the Red Bulls pushed for another equalizer and had a golden opportunity not long after Columbus’ goal. Sean Zawadzki, moved from center back into the midfield made a mistake that led to Schulte committing a foul and conceding a penalty kick. The ensuing effort taken by Manoel ricocheted off of the post, keeping the score 2-1 in favor of the Crew.

Things geot scary for New York when Frankie Amaya was whistled and booked for a challenge on Zawadzki. VAR suggested a possible red card challenge for the play, but, after reviewing the play on the monitor, center official Ismir Pekmic stuck with his original call.

The Red Bulls pressed hard for the reminder of the match, but couldn’t find the equalizer late in second half stoppage time, giving the Black & Gold all three points and extending their unbeaten streak to six.

Cucho contributes

With his goal on Saturday, Hernandez now has 25 goal contributions (14 goals and 11 assists) through his first 30 matches with Columbus. Stern John (33 games, 28 goals, 5 assists) is the only other player in Crew history to reach that mark in his first 30 games with the club.

Milos returns

Center back Milos Degenek returned to MLS action after an injury kept him out for a long stretch. The Australian entered the match in the 79th minute, Degenek’s first MLS action since playing 13 minutes in the 2-1 loss to Inter Miami in late April.

What’s next?

The Crew is on the road on Tuesday, July 4, traveling to Ft. Lauderdale to take on Miami. Kick off from DRV PNK stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.