On the back of grounding the high-flying Jets, the Phoenix only made two changes, both of which came through injury. United boosted all three returning Olyroos into the starting line-up, with Michael Marrone dropping to the bench following the return of Garuccio and continued good form of Ryan Strain.

A well taken goal 32 minutes in from George Blackwood was enough for the visitors to take all three points. The home side threatened and came close on numerous occasions, but lacked the quality needed to find the back of the net.

Wellington Phoenix

Lewis Italiano - 6

Some sloppy goalkeeping to concede the goal. Made some smart saves and commanded his defensive line.

Scott Galloway – 5.5

Popped up with some smart runs to help his wingers. Found it hard to stop the threat of Ben Garuccio.

Andrew Durante – 6.5

The milestone man, making his 278th A-League appearance, showed some solid defensive work, but didn’t really catch the eye with anything.

Goran Paracki – 5

Looked shaky in a more central defensive role and failed to link up with his midfielders.

Tom Doyle - 6

Similar to Galloway, the fullback had a fairly strong defensive showing, but nothing in particular caught the eye.