Two saves by Phoenix keeper Liam Reddy guaranteed victory over Perth Glory in the penalty shootout after 120 minutes of football failed to separate the two sides locked at 1-1.

Now Phoenix looks to maintain their fortress at Westpac Stadium - now an 18-match unbeaten streak - when they host Newcastle Jets on March 7 - but Herbert was just delighted to relish the win over Glory.

"We're through and we have another shot, so that's great," he said. "It was always going to be a tough, tight game and both teams had periods where they dominated and were under a bit of pressure.

"But that's finals football. We needed to get a result and we did."

British striker Chris Greenacre gave the fans plenty of cause for excitement when he scored in the 37th minute following some wonderful lead-up work from Paul Ifill and Manny Muscat.

But Perth were able to grab the momentum after the break and equalised courtesy of Scott Neville's header in the 67th minute.

From then on it was an arm-wrestle between two tiring teams for the remainder of the regular time and extra time, the match forced to an exciting shootout duly won by the Phoenix.

Herbert gave Reddy a huge pat on the back for his match-winning contribution.

"He's been great hasn't he?," he said "What I like about Liam and the other guys we've brought to the club - guys like Chris (Greenacre) and Paul (Ifill) - is that they've really taken onboard what we're all about and made it even bigger and better for us.

"We've kept that culture, strength and vision that the club's always been about and driven it home. Liam's played an incredible role, saving two (penalties) in a playoff like this is fantastic.

"But look at the contributions of the other guys from front to back - everyone put it out there and showed the spirit and determination to win the match."

Goalscorer Greenacre said the feeling in the dressing room was a mix of elation and relief.

"The relief when that final penalty went in and the burst of elation and energy that came with it," he said. "We've worked hard to get that and thankfully it's the result we wanted."

As well as the team on the field, the other star of the day was the 24,000-plus crowd who turned out to cheer Phoenix on.

Herbert added: "I can't speak highly enough of Wellington.

"Fans have got two weeks now to get their tickets and I think the momentum will go on. I'd be surprised if we didn't get more than 24,000 for the next match."

Defeated Glory coach Dave Mitchell focused on the success of the side to get to the finals this season.

"We all know it's not easy to come here," he said. "I'm proud of their achievement this year. It's a sad way to go but the game plan and the way we played was great."