Wellington Phoenix have kept their finals hopes alive with a 4-0 win over Perth Glory at a wet and windy Westpac Stadium on Sunday.
The vital three points lifted the Phoenix above the Newcastle Jets into seventh place – one point behind sixth-placed Melbourne Heart – with an away fixture against Brisbane Roar and a home tie against the Jets to come in the next seven days.
A goalkeeping blunder by Tando Velaphi gifted the home side their first goal early in the first half and they wrapped up the win in the second spell with a well-taken free-kick by Dylan Macallister, a nice volley home by Vince Lia and a late header from Chris Greenacre.
The Phoenix had promised to take it to Glory from the opening whistle and they should have been a goal to the good inside the first minute.
Marco Rojas was quickly into the action and his perfect cross into the box found an advancing Tim Brown but the midfielder headed wide.
Instead it was Velaphi's mistake that put the home side in front in the 10th minute.
Nick Ward's header flew up off the crossbar and the Glory keeper flapped the ball into his own net under pressure from Brown.
Ten minutes later and Velaphi must have been wondering if the match could take any more strange twists as Phoenix stopper Danny Vukovic almost got on the score sheet.
This time the woodwork did deny the home side when Vukovic's huge clearance kick took one bounce and came back off the crossbar to be cleared by the visitors.
The Phoenix had another good chance to grab a second on the half-hour but this time the post stopped Lia’s shot then Macallister couldn't bundle the rebound home.
The Glory, missing Robbie Fowler (hamstring), Jamie Harnwell, Adriano Pellegrino (both suspended), Jacob Burns (baby due) and Andy Todd (released), were not without their chances in the first half but a lack of polish in the box proved their undoing.
While Josh Risdon was having difficulty containing young tyro Rojas at times, he looked far more assured when he pressed forward and he fired in a couple of excellent crosses from the right only for Mile Sterjovski and Todd Howarth to fail to even force a save from Vukovic.
Sterjovski ended up kneeing his effort out in the 27th minute then just before the break Howarth directed his header wide.
Branko Jelic also should have done better in the 19th minute when he was given plenty of time and space in the box only to blast well over.
The Phoenix did not take long to double their lead once the game restarted when they won a free-kick in a dangerous central area just outside of the box and Macallister beat the defensive wall and left Velaphi stranded on his line.
Another dangerous run by Rojas almost got them a third but Josh Mitchell cleared the floated cross at the far post.
Rojas efforts were rewarded on the hour-mark though when he once again got past Risdon cut the ball back to Lia who flicked it up and volleyed home for his first Phoenix goal.
Lia turned provider for substitute Greenacre to add a fourth and final goal in the 90th minute.
Wellington Phoenix 4 (Velaphi og 9, Macallister 47, Lia 59, Greenacre 90)
Perth Glory 0