Melbourne Victory scored a welcome 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix at Etihad Stadium on Guy Fawkes Night, a result which greatly flattered the visiting side in front of 20,683 spectators. The visitors only came into the contest after the home team had withdrawn three of their outstanding players from the match - prior to this, there was only one team in the contest. Melbourne were in mesmerising form, with Wellington left to feed on crumbs as the home team finally mastered the possession-based style of play which coach Ange Postecoglou had employed at Brisbane Roar to such good effect. As a result, they bossed the ball, engineering their first opening in the eighth minute. Marco Rojas, playing on his 21st birthday against his old club, sent Archie Thompson racing through on goal with just the advancing Mark Paston to beat. The striker lifted the ball over Wellington's 'keeper, but wasn't able to direct his effort on target. Seconds later, the visitors found themselves under pressure again, having conceded possession cheaply. Guilherme Finkler's tantalising through ball was latched onto by Marcos Flores, but he was splendidly denied by Paston saving at his feet, the 'keeper quickly recovering to prevent Finkler from turning home the rebound. Wellington continued to chase shadows, and nearly fell behind on the quarter-hour. The outstanding Mike Milligan worked a one-two with Flores before driving in a low cross which Thompson was just unable to turn home on the far post. This sparked a Wellington counter-attack, with Jeremy Brockie holding play up well before switching the ball to Louis Fenton. His gorgeous cross arced just beyond Stein Huysegems, with Brockie, following up behind his team-mate, volleying the chance narrowly wide of Nathan Coe's goal. This was a rare foray forward for the travelling team, who chose - unwisely, it must be said - to play a high defensive line against a side blessed with pace to burn in attack, and the players behind them to thread balls through gaps with monotonous regularity. So it was that Melbourne frequently probed and prodded for an opening which finally came to pass in the 23rd minute. Finkler's slide rule pass wide into the stride of Thompson saw the striker scythe into the penalty area, luring Paston out of goal in the process. Thompson calmly slid the ball across into the stride of Rojas, as if to say, "Here's your 21st birthday present, sunshine - an open goal". Needless to say, the All White wasted little time in ramming home the game's first goal, and Melbourne's fans celebrated accordingly. Four minutes had elapsed when the home team next threatened, Finkler and Rojas working an opening on the right which the former looked to cross onto the head of Thompson. Paston was wise to the danger, however, and sparked a counter-attack which culminated in Paul Ifill having his pocked picked by Adama Traore on the edge of Melbourne's penalty area as Wellington offered a rare attacking threat - this was just the second time in half-an-hour they had come within range of Coe's goal. Normal service soon resumed, with Thompson just failing to do justice to Flores' fine pass in the 33rd minute. Another Brockie-led counter-attack saw the Wellington man opt to shoot when Fenton was better placed for a pass. Needless to say, Coe was little troubled by this 34th minute foray. Melbourne deservedly doubled their lead seven minutes before half-time. And how! This was an absolutely stunning goal, with Flores and Finkler working a double one-two as they worked their way towards goal, with the latter's final lay-off allowing Flores to bend home a beauty from just inside the penalty area which beat Paston all ends up - a terrific strike. Wellington looked to halve the deficit three minutes before half-time, with Brockie again switching play to Fenton, whose cross arced just over the heads of both Ifill and Huysegems as both arrived in the

goalmouth. Melbourne made it 3-0 three minutes into the second half. Milligan sent Thompson hurtling through from half-way once more, and this time he set up Rojas for an unerring finish beyond Paston. It was no more than Melbourne deserved. They had repeatedly carved Wellington to shreds to this point courtesy their wonderful passing game, and it should have brought them further rewards in the 51st minute. There were just three players standing between Wellington's goal as Thompson led a four-strong charge towards the target. A slick one-two with Flores engineered the space from which to let fly, but Thompson disappointingly scooped his shot over the bar. Soon after, Finkler departed the fray as Melbourne, the points seemingly safe, eased off the throttle and, it has to be said, lost their focus. While a Wellington comeback seemed out of the question, in a week which saw Arsenal overcome a four-goal deficit to defeat Reading in a League Cup tie, it couldn't be ruled out. Sure enough, they got up a head of steam, and in the last twenty minutes, carved out six chances which could well have seen them heading back across the Tasman with a scarcely deserved share of the spoils, if not all three points. Brockie just failed to get on the end of a Leo Bertos cross in the 71st minute, while three minutes later, substitute Benjamin Totori picked out Michael Boxall with his cross from the byline which invited the defender to direct a bullet header towards the target. Coe brilliantly tipped the ball to safety - this was his first save of the match, don't forget - but he and his Melbourne team-mates were soon on the back foot once more, as Wellington carved out a glorious chance to peg back a goal thirteen minutes from time. Totori turned up on the left flank this time, but Diogo Ferreira thwarted his progress. Tony Lochhead was backing up his team-mate, however, and got into the penalty area before picking out substitute Tyler Boyd, ten yards out, right in front and with the goal at his mercy. But his finish was woeful, the ball careering past the post at a great rate of knots. How starkly it contrasted with the outcome of Wellington's next attack, in the 81st minute. Andrew Durante won possession just inside his own half and instantly released Totori down the left. He took on the defence before rolling the ball into the stride of the on-rushing figure of Brockie, as he headed towards the edge of the penalty area. Without even stopping to control the sphere, the striker hit a stunning angled shot across his body which arced over Coe and crashed into the net off the underside of the crossbar - a quite superbly taken goal, one of high technical proficiency. That gave the visitors some hope, and Bertos nearly gave them more two minutes later, grazing the bar with a twenty-five yard free-kick. Then in stoppage time, Brockie was fouled on the edge of the penalty area, and duly took the set-piece himself. His twenty yard free-kick arced round the wall and beat Coe at his near post. The 'keeper, who was covering the far post, dived across his goal to paw the ball out, but too late - the whole of the ball had crossed the line, and suddenly Melbourne's lead had been cut to 3-2. Thankfully for the home team, the visitors had left their quest to earn a share of the spoils a little too late, but it would have been an absolute travesty had Wellington returned home with something to show for their efforts in this match, which Melbourne should have won by a far more comfortable margin than the odd goal in five. Melbourne:     Coe; Ferreira, Franjic, Leijer, Traore; Celeski, Milligan, Finkler (Jeggo, 59); Rojas (Nabbout, 75), Flores (Bru, 75), Thompson Wellington:     Paston; Bertos, Boxall (booked, 12), Durante, Lochhead; Ifill (Boyd, 56), Muscat, Smith, Fenton (Lia, 65); Brockie, Huysegems (Totori, 56) Referee:     Shaun Evans