Melbourne City have established a solid five-point cushion over sixth place, now sitting ahead of Wellington in eighth, following a 2-0 triumph over the Phoenix at AAMI Park.
Aziz Behich got the ball rolling for City shortly before the half-hour mark, with Marcus Younis later sealing the deal by scoring his fourth goal since joining City in January.
The Phoenix weathered an initial barrage and a handball appeal within the first ten minutes before producing a 15-minute offensive push of their own, yet they failed to penetrate City’s resolute defence.
Behich put City in front when his left-foot shot from just outside the penalty area was deflected by the lunging Isaac Hughes and past goalkeeper Joshua Oluwayemi, marking the Socceroos left-back’s second goal of the season.
Despite the Phoenix’s efforts to find an equaliser, City effectively maintained their 1-0 lead into the half-time break.
City found their second goal after a lengthy spell of midfield play, with Andreas Kuen slipping Younis through the Phoenix defence to complete a swift counter-attack.
It was a noteworthy return for Socceroo Matthew Leckie, who made his long-awaited comeback for Melbourne City, clocking in 11 minutes of playing time in his first match since late October.
Next Saturday, Melbourne City will travel north to face Brisbane Roar, while the Phoenix will return home to host Western Sydney after two consecutive away matches in Melbourne.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Melbourne City goal: Behich 27′
Melbourne City goal: Younis 76′
WHAT THEY SAID
Compiled by SportArena.au
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