Melbourne Victory are up to fifth on the Isuzu UTE A-League table after a dramatic 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium.
Sebastian Esposito, Nishan Velupillay and Louis D’Arrigo were the goal scorers for the Victory, while Carlo Armiento scored one and put in the corner that saw Roderick Miranda score a late own goal.
Esposito was one of best players on the park, pairing his goal with many quality defensive interventions, while Velupillay and Japanese striker Charles Nduka – in his first start for the club – also among the best for Victory.
Armiento and Ramy Najjarine were Wellington’s strongest performers.
A first minute effort for Tim Payne set the tone for a wild first half, with the Phoenix veteran squeezing into the area behind Victory’s defence and forcing a great save out of Jack Warshawsky.
Esposito then opened the scoring for the day – and his overall Melbourne Victory account – in chaotic circumstances, when he went to flick a corner on at the near post which ended up bursting through Phoenix keeper Alby Kelly-Heald’s hands and over the line.
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VAR spent a couple of minutes checking to see if an offside Jason Davidson had the final touch and ticked it off, before the game became an end to end series of attacks from both sides.
Charles Nduka and Vellupilay both had good chances for the Victory, while Eze looked a constant threat on the break for the Phoenix.
In the end it was Armiento who dragged the Phoenix level in the 39th minute, with the goal coming after Najarine’s direct run and smart ball teed him up on the far left hand edge of the area to tuck home in the far bottom corner.
That goal brought the game alive, with both sides putting the ball into the back of the net only to have them ruled out.
First Nduka used his hand to spike the ball over Kelly-Heald before popping it into the net, and then Eze chipped Warshawsky from an offside position.
Velupillay then put the Victory back in front in the 44th minute, passing the ball into the far corner after being teed up by Nduka who dug the ball out to the Socceroo as he entered the box on the left hand side.
The match had a controversial flashpoint in the 64th minute, when referee Jack Morgan pointed to the penalty spot after Josh Rawlins appeared to take down Armiento as he entered the area on the left hand side.
The VAR then called Morgan to the sideline to recheck the vision, and the referee decided upon review that the incident was “normal football contact” and overturned his decision – much to the disgust of the Wellington crowd.
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Their mood wasn’t improved in the 77th minute when Victory substitute Louis Di’Arrigo extended the Melbourne lead just 90 seconds after his arrival, stooping to hit a quality Keegan Jelacic ball at pace at the near post.
The Phoenix gave themselves a lifeline in the 84th minute when Armiento’s excellent corner caused chaos in the six-yard box, leading to Victory skipper Miranda giving up an own goal as it ricocheted off him past Warshawsky.
The win takes Victory ahead of Adelaide on goal difference, but the South Australian side can leap them if they beat Newcastle on Sunday evening.
The Victory’s next assignment is a home game against Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park on Saturday evening, while the Phoenix travel to Commbank Stadium to play Western Sydney Wanderers the night before.
