A Keisuke Honda-less Melbourne Victory were still in full gear as they were equally matched by a competitive and entertaining Wellington Phoenix side.

A fantastic start to the game saw Victory’s Thomas Deng misjudge the bounce of a through ball resulting in the Nix’s Roy Krishna diverting away from Lawrence Thomas and over hitting his shot at goal, setting the tone for a pulsating affair that never relented.

A near sell out AAMI Park meant for a fantastic Friday night atmosphere where Victory favourite Marco Rojas’ tag as the ‘Kiwi Messi’ has been dismantled to make way for Wellington’s Sarpreet Singh, an exceptional talent who is no doubt in pole position for the A-League Young Footballer of the Year gong.

Wellington Phoenix continued their improvement on the season thus far. Furthermore, by getting the best out of the limited resources he has, Mark Rudan has made his Wellington side fearless going forward and ensured every player is accountable in defence.

The Victory were particularly susceptible to the counter attacking efforts of the Nix, whilst Wellington’s lead was lost due to a poor clearance from Andrew Durante, ultimately leaving both sides sharing the points.

Melbourne Victory

Lawrence Thomas — 7

Stood up exceptionally well to get in the way of a Sarpreet Singh drive on goal towards the end of the first half. Had no chance in keeping out Williams’ effort.

Storm Roux — 7.5

Made some penetrative darting runs along his flank and consistently put the ball on a platter for Victory’s forwards to attack.

Thomas Deng — 5

Genuinely struggled throughout the tie, finding difficulty in safely clearing the ball when he to and being outmatched for pace by the Wellington forward pack.

On the other hand, he was powerful aerially and in his interceptions. Claims for his inclusion in the Socceroos squad for the Asian Cup were left unsatisfied following the final 23’s announcement, as Graham Arnold opted for the more naturalised right back in the form of Rhyan Grant.

Nick Ansell — N/A

Suffered an injury merely ten minutes in. No doubt he and Victory are hoping it is not too serious.

Corey Brown — 6

Despite demonstrating impressive energy and work rate, he failed to impress when getting in to good crossing positions, often letting down his teammates with the final ball.

Leigh Broxham — 7

As is typical of his ‘utility’ status, Broxham was shifted in to a central defence role following an injury to Nick Ansell.

Carl Valeri — 6

Had the tough task of contending with the elusive and unpredictable Singh, but when handed the opportunity to do what he does best, he took it and ran with it.

Terry Antonis — 8

Lofted some beautiful passes to his teammates to create some of Victory’s better moments. Seemed to relish playing more centrally in a playmaker role.

James Troisi — 7

The creative fulcrum of the Victory was quality until an Alex Rufer challenge left him with a niggling issue. Had Kurto nearly baffled with a swerving effort, whilst his crossing was spot on all night.

Kosta Barbarouses — 8

Emblematic of a an ‘energiser bunny’, full of speed and was consistently reliable when played through by his teammates. Had many chances to bury the ball in the back of the net but was culpable of dawdling on the ball at times, to his own dismay.

Ola Toivonen — 8

The effect of Keisuke Honda can not be understated, but a proportion of said praise belongs to the hulking Swedish striker with exquisite technical ability.

His ability to set up his teammates with some well worked headers and deft touches is undeniably massive in contributing to Victory having a dominating presence in attack. Was finally found by one of his teammates as he finished off Antonis’ shot.

Substitutes

Josh Hope — 7

Ten minutes in, the young starlet was sent on following Ansell’s departure in a mobile central midfield role. Anticipated well and gave the Victory better fluidity in midfield. Tired as the game went on and was replaced by the more attacking Rahmat Akbari late on.

Kenny Athiu — 6

Involved from the offset, but despite some nice passes through Wellington's defence had some awful first touches.

Rahmat Akbari — 6

Substituted on to provide an attacking spark.

Wellington Phoenix

Filip Kurto — 7.5

Went about his work dutifully and more importantly was instrumental when called upon, saving low to his near post against Barbarouses as Victory searched for a winner.

Louis Fenton — 7

A perennial presence in defence, constantly clearing and deflecting the Victory’s crosses away. Did well with his crossing. Earned a yellow after poorly crashing in to Corey Brown.

Steven Taylor — 8

A true ‘Geordie’ in every sense; a no-nonsense defender and passionate larrikin with an admittedly less exaggerated accent than Scotty T.

His effect on the culture of the Wellington Phoenix squad has been integral to the side’s good work on the pitch, with his sturdy performances an added bonus.

Andrew Durante — 7

An early moment saw him slip and recover triumphantly to prevent an onrushing Barbarouses from putting Melbourne in front. Truly was at fault for Victory’s equaliser as he had to do better with his clearance.

Tom Doyle — 6.5

Competitive, although somewhat over committed in his challenges. Involved in some questionable foul decisions, particularly in a moment where he was seen as being fouled by a chasing Barbarouses.

Liberato Cacace — 8

Cacace has presented himself as one of the Phoenix’s stronger options when in attack and a handy intelligent option defensively. Liberated his teammates often with his sweet cut ins and quick ball movement.

Mandi — 8

Calm and assured with his distribution as he was frequently found by his teammates to dictate proceedings. Did well to release the likes of Singh and Krishna to counter attack.

Alex Rufer — 7

An all-round strong performance, putting in some bruising tackles and maintaining a disciplined defensive focus throughout.

Sarpreet Singh — 8

Following tonight, Mark Bosnich’s claim that Singh is the current best player in the A-League (based on form) has been further justified.

Found space so confidently and with little indecision in his play, was a positive influence all night long. Notched an assist in a similar fashion to his marauding run and pass to Williams to finish.

David Williams — 8

Having been limited to substitute appearances, Williams forced himself in to the eleven against the Victory following a delightful finish against Roar last week, replacing Nathan Burns and appearing rather more confident in front of goal than Burns.

Similarly scored a lovely curler from just outside the box tonight, taking on Storm Roux and finishing with aplomb.

Roy Krishna — 7

The Phoenix servant has been exceptional in recent weeks and was a significant nuisance for the Victory players all through the 90 minutes.

Unafraid to take on the defence, but was more often than firing blanks or straight in to a Victory player. Saw a few efforts go just wide of the post.

Substitutes

Nathan Burns — 5

Did little off the bench, not utilising his pace well enough. Clearly lacks confidence, which is a sad sight considering he was part of the Socceroos’ Asian Cup winning squad almost four years ago.

Michal Kopczynski — 8

Simply exceptional off the bench, tackling powerfully and intelligently, especially late on as he prevented a potential Antonis winner.

Ryan Lowry — N/A

Brought on to wind down the clock.