Wellington Phoenix have made Melbourne City work hard to win back-to-back A-League premiers plates.
City clinched a 2-1 victory against the Phoenix in their final regular season match at AAMI Park to finish one point ahead of crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory at the top of the table.
With sixth spot and playoffs already guaranteed for Wellington, head coach Ufuk Talay made three changes to the XI that beat Western Sydney Wanderers. Regulars David Ball and Gael Sandoval were rested, making way for academy graduates Riley Bidois and Jackson Manuel in their first starts for the club.
The defending champs scored twice in the first 10 minutes and looked to be cruising to victory, but Ben Waine's sixth goal of the season early in the second half pulled Wellington back into the game, setting up an exciting final half hour.
The Phoenix finished the stronger of the two sides, without producing the final telling ball, but Talay was pleased with his side’s improvement after halftime.
"Off the back of the second-half performance, I feel positive, not so much the first-half," he said. "Conceding from two set pieces is disappointing.
"Second-half, we changed things and the boys came out with a response. It was good to have a second-half against Melbourne City the way that we did - it was pretty close to finals football."
Talay was also pleased with the impact of midfielder Clayton Lewis, who made his return to the match squad, after six weeks sidelined with an ankle injury.
"It was very good to get 45 minutes under his belt this evening, and you can see the affect that he has when he comes on the park and plays for our team," Talay said.
The Phoenix return to Victoria to play Western United in an elimination final on Saturday, with the winners advancing to a home-and-away semi-final.
Wellington Phoenix 1 (Ben Waine) Melbourne City 2 (Sam Sutton own goal, Jamie Maclaren)
