Melbourne Victory's four-nil win against Wellington Phoenix at Docklands Stadium as Australia Day drew to a close puts the reigning champions two points clear at the top with three games to play. Games to come involving two of its rivals for this season's honours will determine who holds the position at the end of the campaign, but Melbourne's form looks ominous with three wins from its last three outings, amassing twelve goals along the way.

Tim Brown headed past his own goalkeeper from Carlos Hernandez' free-kick to give Melbourne the opening goal just after the quarter-hour.

Archie Thompson got the second, five minutes into the second half, breaking through a square Wellington back-line on a clever through-ball from Marvin Angulo.

Hernandez got the third midway through the second half, after Melbourne broke quickly from defence as Wellington players understandably committed players to attack, leaving its defence under-manned, and ripe for exploitation.

Matthew Kemp came off the bench to put the icing on the cake three minutes from time after an enterprising run from the half-way line, and an exchange of passes with Nick Ward which completely cut through the now demoralised Wellington defence.

"It was a really good second-half performance," said a naturally delighted Victory coach Ernie Merrick after the game. "They seemed to step up a gear in the second half. (It was) a pretty impressive performance all-round (and) an ideal run-in to the Finals."

Wellington coach Ricki Herbert was disappointed as his side's fade-out. "We fell away without a contest, and that's not us," he said. "We looked tired and lethargic and made some pretty poor decisions."

Whereas Melbourne will have its tails up for Friday's clash with Gold Coast, Wellington's Finals prospects for the run-in have taken a knock.

In a rehearsal for the free-kick which produced the game's opener, it was only desperate defending which kept out a Leigh Broxham's free from wide left eleven minutes into the match. As the ball was whipped in, Rodi Vargas got his head to it only to see it fail to beat the cross-bar even although it eluded Phoenix goalkeeper Liam Reddy. Archie Thompson pounced on the now loose ball, but Reddy reacted quickly to block. Adrian Leijer, who had made the move upfield from his customary right-back position, threw himself at the rebound, but Reddy was able to claw it away and a phalanx of Phoenix players finally scrambled the ball clear.

Brown was doubly unfortunate to have conceded the own goal from Hernandez' free-kick, as he could have opened the scoring at the other end after a storming direct run and shot. The own goal arose when he sought to clear the ball whipped in by the Costa Rican, only to wrong-foot his goalkeeper Reddy who was anticipating its original trajectory. Barely seconds before, Brown had taken advantage of a Victory midfield ball turnover and run towards a back-pedalling Melbourne defence to create space for a shot across goal which whizzed past the far-post, scraping paint as it did so.

Games change on such fickle moments such as these. An inch or two's difference at either end and Wellington would have held a one-nil half-time lead instead of the host.

Brown required a great save from Mitchell Langerak later in the half after Eugene Dadi had slipped a through-ball from a throw-in allowing Brown to ghost into a shooting position. Langerak was alert to the danger and stretched to divert the ball around the post.

Angulo had been industrious but ineffective during the first-half, but his involvement in the early moments of the second stretched Melbourne's lead. After Angulo had gained possession, he spotted the potential of Thompson's run to his right and sent a perfectly-weighted ball which pierced the Wellington back-line and left Jonathan McKain at the decided disadvantage of now trying to catch Thompson from behind without committing the foul which would certainly have seen him dismissed. As Reddy sought to narrow the gaping angle, Thompson slipped the ball by him into the net with the outside of his right boot.

Wellington, which had seemingly matched Melbourne on the park, now found itself with a two-goal deficit, and its own Finals quest in jeopardy.

Herbert made a double-change as he chased the game, but before his changes had even got themselves into the contest, Victory made it three.

Kevin Muscat had broken from defence as Wellington devoted resources to attack, and found Robbie Kruse awaiting just such a pass standing onside wide right on the half-way line and with Hernandez central. Kruse sprinted up the wing as Hernandez kept pace in the middle ready for the inevitable square ball as the sole defender sought vainly to intervene. Hernandez had the simple task of placing the ball wide of Reddy from ten metres.

Kemp, on as a substitute midway through the second half, brought up the fourth after an unchallenged run from wide right beginning on the half-way line. His diagonal run took him into the penalty-area where he slipped the ball to fellow substitute Ward. Ward's instant back-heel placed the ball back at Kemp's feet with the defence completely wrong-footed, and Kemp now facing only Reddy.

It was a simple task for the full-back to side-foot home and bring up Melbourne's second four-goal margin win in ten days.