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09May22
Melbourne City Clinch Back-To-Back Premierships
by Jeremy Ruane
Melbourne City clinched back-to-back Isuzu Ute A-League Premierships at AAMI Park on May 9, overcoming Wellington Phoenix 2-1 to finish a point ahead of cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory and become just the second team in A-League history to clinch successive titles.
Watched by 7,350 patrons, City hit the ground running in this encounter, taking the lead after just 140 seconds when Sam Sutton headed a Taras Gomulka corner into his own net - a horror start for Wellington, who, although they had qualified for the play-offs with a game to spare, wanted to finish their challenging round-robin campaign on a high.
Things would swiftly get worse for the visitors, however, for after a swashbuckling Ben Old run had culminated in his shot being blocked to safety by Rostyn Griffiths, City doubled their advantage in the tenth minute via another Gomulka corner, this one being flicked on by Andrew Nabbout to Jamie Maclaren, whose close range finish confirmed him as this season's Golden Boot winner.
Having lost their last clash with City 6-0, and being two goals down so early, there was a real danger of Wellington capitulating once again, but they managed to hold out their rampant opponents for the rest of the match, although they certainly rode their luck in the process.
Finn Surman was fortunate to escape punishment for pulling back Mathew Leckie on the quarter hour as he charged into the penalty area while looking to work a one-two with Marco Tilio, who was involved in much that was good about the reigning table-toppers' display.
He didn't feature in City's next noteworthy attack, however, a 28th minute raid sparked by Griffiths' pass, which allowed Nabbout to power through the inside left channel past four opponents before drawing a solid save from Oliver Sail low to his right.
A further ten minutes elapsed before City threatened again, although it must be said they were completely dominating their opponents in between times. But when Nick Pennington's bid to play the ball out of defence by Tilio, it presented Maclaren with a chance which was deflected narrowly past the post.
The resulting corner was partially cleared, but only as far as Tilio, who delivered a devilish cross with which Leckie only just failed to make contact. But the playmaker's devilry was far from done with, Tilio pouncing on the ball in Wellington's defensive third in the 41st minute.
Maclaren was the initial beneficiary of his team-mate's promptings, the striker instantly slipping the ball into the stride of Leckie, whose cross was headed towards his own goal by Jackson Manuel. Sail spared his young team-mate's blushes by grabbing the ball under the bar.
City continued to threaten before the interval, Maclaren rattling the post with a twenty yard drive in the 42nd minute before stirring the side-netting seconds later, Tilio and Leckie the suppliers of the respective opportunities.
A minute later, another Gomulka corner picked out the head of Griffiths, who sent a header bulleting narrowly over the bar from eight yards to conclude a dominant half by City, one in which Wellington always looked like they were going to concede their fiftieth goal of the campaign - no club has conceded as many goals as Ufuk Talay's charges this season.
If Wellington thought Melbourne would relax a little in the second spell, a shot across the bows - or, rather, narrowly past the post - from Maclaren within the opening minute of the half, following yet more good work by Tilio, had them scrambling for their flak jackets!
But the visitors had changed things up at half-time, introducing Reno Piscopo and the fit-again Clayton Lewis to the fray and changing their tactics to accommodate the newcomers' attacking approaches.
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Within minutes, those changes nearly paid dividends, Piscopo charging forward before feeding Sutton, whose overlapping run culminated in a cross which was headed over the bar by Ben Old - none performed better in a Wellington shirt than he in this encounter.
Back came City, Carl Jenkinson's swashbuckling run down the right past three opponents culminating in a cross to Maclaren, who was unable to execute a shot on the turn thanks to the presence of both Scott Wootton and Tim Payne.
In the 54th minute, Wellington reduced the deficit. Lewis linked with Gary Hooper, whose clipped ball forward invited Ben Waine to take on Melbourne's defence. The young striker did superbly well, taking on and beating Griffiths before arrowing a shot across the diving figure of Tom Glover and into the far corner of the net - 2-1.
If anything was going to make City go through the gears, it was conceding a goal, and they were soon pounding away again at Wellington's goal, striving to restore their two-goal advantage.
Tilio chanced his arm himself in the 59th minute, his shot on the run from twenty-five yards being parried by Sail, who was relieved to see Scott Jamieson's twenty yard piledriver cannon off Wootton seven minutes later. The rebound on this occasion found its way to Gomulka, who was denied by Sail at his near post.
Twenty minutes from time, the same upright was rattled by a Maclaren missile, after Jenkinson and Gomulka - with a delicious one-touch contribution - had prised open Wellington's left flank.
The visitors responded via an Old-led raid, but substitute Jordan Bos' timely challenge both concluded that threat and ignited City's latest attack, the newcomer being released down the left by Tolio. Bos cut inside but saw his shot blocked, with Tolio slicing his attempt to make the most of the rebound well wide of the matk.
Bos featured again in the 76th minute, outmuscling fellow substitute Louis Fenton before sending a low cross sizzling across the six-yard box which the incoming figure of Leckie only just failed to meet and turn home from point-blank range.
Seven minutes from time, there was a brief flashpoint when Piscopo, who had been booked just minutes earlier, kicked out at Jenkinson after the defender had brought him down. Referee Daniel Elder quickly brought the situation under control and booked the City man, but Piscopo can consider himself fortunate to have escaped further punishment, particularly with the all-seeing eye of the Video Assistant Referee also assessing the situation.
City were getting a tad nervous by this stage, as a Wellington equaliser would deny them the silverware and leave Melbourne Victory. The visitors sensed this, and enjoyed the upper hand in the dying minutes, going close via Lewis' twenty-five yard free-kick two minutes from time - Glover saved it at the second attempt, before racing out of his penalty area to foil Wellington's next attack, heading clear from Waine as Wootton employed route one football to release him.
The reigning champions held on, however, and when the final whistle sounded, celebrated the rare feat of back-to-back A-League Premierships. Wellington, meanwhile, will return to this venue on Saturday evening to take on Western United in their sudden death play-off.
Melbourne: Glover; Jenkinson (booked, 83), Reis, Griffiths, Jamieson; Gomulka, Tilio (booked, 54) (Colakovski, 82), Metcalfe; Nabbout (booked, 30) (Bos, 72), Maclaren (booked, 56), Leckie
Wellington: Sail; Surman (Fenton, 66), Wootton, Payne; Waine (booked, 90), Pennington, Manuel (Lewis, 46), Sutton; Bidois (Piscopo, 46 (booked, 81)), Hooper (Van Hattum, 85), Old (McGarry, 90)
Referee: Daniel Elder
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