Mark Milligan and James Troisi returned from Socceroos duty and played pivotal roles in Melbourne’s win, while Perth continue to rotate their injury-struck squad, awarding a debut to 16-year-old, Jacob Italiano – the fourth youngest debutant in A-League history.

Despite some heroic defending from Perth’s Shane Lowry, Victory’s persistence paid off. Berisha and Victory will now hope to build on this performance, following a frustrating start to the season.

Perth Glory

Liam Reddy - 6.5

Showed bravery to come out head first and claim a loose ball that was scuffed by  Troisi. Was rooted to the spot when Berisha’s glancing header bounced off the post and straight into his welcoming arms. The shot-stopper also pulled off a great save to deny a Rhys Williams header in the first half.

Jeremy Walker - 4.5

A night to forget for the right back, after having to deal with the slippery threat of George. The 24-year-old was later caught the wrong side of Berisha for the opening goal.

Alex Grant - 5

A fairly poor performance from the defender. He would have been bitterly disappointed not to have cleared the initial threat, before Victory claimed their second goal of the game.

Shane Lowry - 8

Without him, Glory could have conceded five. Lowry put his body on the line to block multiple Victory shots and the defeat does not reflect his individual performance.

Joseph Mills - 7

Took his fair share of bumps and bruises from the visitors, but never turned away from a tackle. The Englishman’s quick bursts of pace often got the better of Jason Geria in Victory’s defence.

 

Xavi Torres - 6

A rather frustrating night for the Spaniard, who loves to be in possession of the ball. Without it, Torres had to retreat to his own half, where he was often outplayed by Troisi. However, the midfielder’s passing was up to his usual standard.

Brandon Wilson - 6.5

Showed intent in the final third and occasionally found space on the edge of the opposing area. Probably should have done more with the ball at his feet when facing goal.

Chris Harold - 5.5

Locked horns with Leigh Broxham for 60 minutes and failed to make any real impact on the game, before being the first Perth player to be substituted.

Mitch Nichols - 5.5

Gave the ball away in the build up to Victory’s first goal, just when Perth thought they had a chance of their own.

Jacob Italiano – 7

Might have thought he had scored on his A-League debut, as the ball fell into his path at the back post. Unfortunately for the 16-year-old, his shot crept inches wide of the target. However, an impressive debut from Italiano, who did not look out of his depth.

Andy Keogh - 6

Spent his evening isolated and in need of assistance. When the striker found space, he had his back to goal which meant he caused only a small amount of trouble for Victory’s defence.

SUBS:

Jake Brimmer - 4.5

Bundled over Berisha inside the penalty area and was very fortunate not to have conceded a penalty in doing so.

Mitchell Mallia - 7

Entered the field and needed to make an instant impact, as Victory doubled their lead. Mallia fancied his chances and tried his luck from range, one of which whistled wide. The other, ended up in the stands.

 

Melbourne Victory

Lawrence Thomas - 7

A shaky start from the Victory keeper, who failed to claim an easy cross early in the first half. Following that mistake, Thomas claimed every cross with authority and remained well protected by his defence.

Jason Geria - 6.5

The duo of Mills and Nichols kept Geria on his toes, but the defender held his own and defended well. He also looked comfortable in possession and looked to play a pass down the line when possible.

Rhys Williams – 8

The former Glory defender led by example at the back and carried the ball forward when necessary. Williams found himself unmarked and with a free header at the back post, in the first half. His shot was on target, but well saved by Reddy.

Thomas Deng - 5.5

The 20-year-old fumbled in possession a handful of times, causing problems rather than reassurance. Deng spent most of his evening filling the role as Williams’ assistant and tried not to make a mistake in the meantime.

Leigh Broxham - 6.5

A mistimed tackle earned Broxham a yellow card, 16 minutes in, meaning he had to choose his tackles carefully for the remainder of the game. Broxham smartly intercepted a loose Perth pass, which initiated the move leading to Berisha’s opening goal.

 

Carl Valeri - 7

Sat in front of his defence and soaked up any pressure. This gave Milligan and Troisi the creative freedom in Perth’s half, Melbourne’s primary source of attack. Certainly, one of Valeri’s better performances this season.

Mark Milligan - 8.5

When you consider the amount of air miles Milligan has clocked within the last two weeks, his performance in Perth was nothing short of sublime. His creativity with Troisi was a constant and direct source of attack for Victory.

Jai Ingham – 7.5

Caused numerous problems for the home side’s defence with his direct style of play. His early cross to Berisha for the first goal was excellent and Kevin Muscat will hope Ingham can play like this more consistently, following the injury of Mitch Austin.

James Troisi – 7.5

To begin with, it seemed travelling with the Socceroos had caught up with the attacking midfielder, but Troisi slowly grew into the game. His partnership with Milligan was the pinnacle of Victory’s win and he would have had a goal himself, if it weren’t for some excellent defending from Lowry.

Leroy George - 8

Every cross that left the boot of George was either dangerous or accurate. The tricky Dutchman was often found in acres of space, where he could dribble the ball at defenders or offer assistance to his teammates. He later claimed his third goal of the season from close range, no less than the winger deserved.

Besart Berisha - 7

When Berisha’s glancing header bounced off the post and into arms of Liam Reddy, it looked as though the Victory striker was about to endure another frustrating 90 minutes. However, the veteran’s fortunes changed when he lost his defender and found the end of Ingham’s cross, claiming the opening goal.

SUBS:

Christian Theoharous - 6

The talented youngster expressed some eye-catching skills late on, but entered the field a little too late to make much of an impact.

Stefan Nigro – was substituted too late to earn a fair rating.

Matias Sanchez – was substituted too late to earn a fair rating.