They left it late, but Melbourne Victory did just enough to get past the Newcastle Jets in front of more than 20,000 fans at AAMI Park on Saturday Night.
Despite having an impressive 58% possession, and the majority of chances, Melbourne were unable to break the deadlock until Gui Finkler’s superb free-kick settled the contest with five minutes remaining.
From the outset, it was clear that Kevin Muscat’s side were determined to get on top early, not allowing Newcastle a touch of the ball for the opening three minutes.
This early dominance of possession soon resulted in chances.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah – who was a menace for the Newcastle defence all night – created the first real chance for the home side, however his pinpoint cross was not met with the same precision; Besart Berisha putting his header well wide of the post.
Khalfallah was at the centre of all things promising, and got closer as the half progressed, firing a shot wide, before hitting a shot straight at Ben Kennedy in the Newcastle goal on 20 minutes.
For their part, the Jets – with the absence of possession – held firm in defence, attempting to counter-attack at every opportunity.
However they – like Melbourne – were guilty of failing to find a final pass when in good positions in attack.
The second half started off very similar to the first for Melbourne, dominating the play, doing everything except scoring, with Barbarouses latching onto another superb cross from Khalfallah, before inexplicably putting his volley just over at the far post.
Khalfallah again went close, drawing a solid save from Kennedy as the home side kept pushing determinedly for the winner.
Khalfallah – man of the match on the night – then went agonisingly close to giving his side the lead. Cutting in from the left, he saw his stunning strike from 25-yards hit the bar with Kennedy helpless.
As time went on, fan favourite Archie Thompson replaced the disappointing Kosta Barbarouses, however it would be a foul on Berisha, who had been well held all night, that lead to the crucial moment.
Finkler lined the ball up on the edge of the box, before firing a rocket past Kennedy, into the top left corner, sending the crowd into raptures.
The game was not over however, with Newcastle nearly stealing a point in injury time. Scott Neville found himself in space in the box, however, Nathan Coe was equal to his shot, ensuring that the Victory got the three points they deserved.