Melbourne City smelled blood and took full advantage of its rivals falling to its knees; recording the greatest-ever Melbourne derby win after piling on the goals in the second half.
Not since the 2007 Grand Final – a night which lives famously in the memories of Melbourne Victory fans – has a side won 6-0 at Marvel Stadium.
Though Saturday night’s occasion would be one those fans would rather forget, for they could only stand by helplessly as their side suffered not only its greatest-ever derby defeat – but its biggest loss period.
Despite the allowed capacity increasing to 50 per cent, a cavernous Marvel Stadium and its navy blue tenant failed to fire on an occasion which has certainly seen better days.
But City certainly won’t care how it looked. From their point of view they checked off two big boxes despite barely getting out of first gear: beat Victory and do it with style.
If the game was to be described as a metaphor: City was the cat and Victory the mouse dangling by its tail off the paw; aware of its fate but unbeknownst as to when the feline would strike.
As Victory would find out, the time came just after half time as City – already a goal up – scored twice inside five minutes to kill off any chance of a fight back.
Andrew Nabbout – the subject of many boos from the Victory fans – was unplayable on the night down the left wing. The Socceroo contributed with two assists, despite only intending to give one.
Getting on the end of a Craig Noone corner, Nabbout flicked the ball onto an unware – yet incredibly grateful – Jamie Maclaren, who happily claimed the goal minutes after blasting a penalty into orbit.
Maclaren’s 34th minute goal edged him ahead in the race for the Golden Boot on eight goals – one ahead of Macarthur’s Matt Derbyshire.
Nabbout then set up Florin Berenguer early in the second half with a low cross to which the Frenchman smashed home to double City’s lead.
The visitors would drive the nail in the coffin four minutes later when Rostyn Griffiths’ header from the penalty spot off a Noone corner looped its way into the net in the 56th minute.
But City would not stop here. They were going to enjoy this.
With Victory well and truly out of the fight, midfielder Connor Metcalfe joined in the fun with a brace to take the tally to five. His first coming off the post in the 74th minute after a surging run down the left hand side, with Maclaren then gifting the 21-year-old his second three minutes later.
Academy product and lifelong City fan Stefan Colakovski would add the icing to the cake in the 93rd minute with his debut A-League goal.
MELBOURNE VICTORY 0
MELBOURNE CITY 6 (Maclaren 34′, Berenguer 52′, Griffiths 56′, Metcalfe 74′ & 77′, Colakovski 90+3′)
MELBOURNE VICTORY
Starting XI:
Max Crocombe, Storm Roux, Nick Ansell, Dalibor Markovic, Aaron Anderson, Jacob Butterfield (Jay Barnett 62’), Jake Brimmer, Birkan Kirdar (Leigh Broxham 45’), Robbie Kruse, Callum McManaman (Elvis Kamsoba 77’), Rudy Gestede (Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio 62’)
Unused Substitutes:
Matt Acton, Ben Folami, Zaydan Bello,
MELBOURNE CITY
Tom Glover, Nathaniel Atkinson, Curtis Good, Scott Jamieson (Ben Garuccio 87’), Rostyn Griffiths (Taras Gomulka 81’), Connor Metcalfe, Florin Berenguer, Andrew Nabbout (Stefan Colakovski 81’), Jamie Maclaren, Craig Noone
Unused Substitutes
Matt Sutton, Scott Galloway, Naoki Tsubaki, Marco Tilio
