Wellington Phoenix have lifted themselves off the foot of the A-League table with a 3-1 home victory over Central Coast Mariners, producing their strongest performance in Wellington since April last year.
Corban Piper opened the scoring midway through the first half after Kasuki Nagasawa capitalised on a defensive error and squared the ball for a simple finish, before the Mariners struck back just before the break when substitute goalkeeper Eamonn McCarron spilled a long-range effort that Sabit Ngor turned into an equaliser.
The Phoenix regained control early in the second half when a video review confirmed a Mariners handball, allowing Manjrekar James to convert from the penalty spot, and the points were effectively sealed moments later as Carlo Armiento added a third.
The result is the Phoenix’s third win from nine matches, lifting them to seventh in the 12-team competition on 11 points, and capped a positive weekend for the club following their women’s side’s record 7-0 win over Sydney FC, with both teams now heading into the Christmas break.
