Melbourne Victory manager Kevin Muscat looked only to the positives of the 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix which he felt misrepresented his team’s “tremendous” effort.
The visitors defied Rhys Williams’ early dismissal to take a half-time lead through Kosta Barbarouses, before Lawrence Thomas’ handling error gifted Phoenix a lifeline.
And the home side went on to claim all three points courtesy of Mark Milligan’s unfortunate own goal, ensuring Victory remain outside the top four.
“Lawrence has made an error by his high standards which encouraged [Wellington],” Muscat told Sky Sport NZ.
“Up until then we limited them to shots from distance and weren’t really troubled at all. I was fairly pleased at that point.
“Tonight was a difficult night under the circumstances. But the effort was tremendous.
“I don’t think tonight can be any reflection on what’s going to happen this season going forward.”
Victory’s next assignment is a visit from Perth Glory on Saturday night, before they head to New South Wales to meet Western Sydney Wanderers.
