Wellington Phoenix have secured a third straight A-League men's win, defeating Melbourne Victory 1-0 in Wollongong.
Entering Wednesday night's encounter with wins over Western United and Macarthur FC in their last two matches, a lone strike from Reno Piscopo was enough for Ufuk Talay's men to make it three from three, and consolidate their hold on seventh place on the A-League men's ladder.
In the 74th minute, a defensive lapse from left back Jason Davidson played in Phoenix striker David Ball, who unselfishly squared to Piscopo inside the penalty area, needing no second invitation to find the back of the net.
At the other end, the Phoenix defence was boosted by new signing Scott Wootton, as the centre back made his debut after signing for the club last month, helping close out the 1-0 victory.
The win means that, an FFA Cup defeat to the Victory aside, the Phoenix haven't tasted defeat since January 1, albeit coming after a run of games were postponed due to COVID-19.
"I think we're heading in the right direction," manager Ufuk Talay says.
"It was an arm-wrestle. Two teams that when they got behind the ball were very defensive and I thought one goal was going to win this game and I'm glad we scored that one goal."
The win also sees the Phoenix just one point outside the A-League's top six and finals contention, with the Kiwi side to play again on Saturday, facing off against fifth-placed Adelaide United.
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Reno Piscopo 74') Melbourne Victory 0
