Match Report
Melbourne Victory went into the game 4th in the table on 40 points; Macarthur sat 7th on 34 — a 6-point gap. Macarthur had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 3rd in the league over the last five rounds against 7th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Melbourne Victory 1.69 scored and 1.27 conceded per game, Macarthur 1.42 and 1.69, with the league averaging 1.43.
Melbourne Victory carried a 5-game unbeaten run into this. Macarthur had been beaten in three straight games. Melbourne Victory had banked 9 of the last 15 points on offer; Macarthur, 1.
The head-to-head ledger counts 9 games: 5 Melbourne Victory wins, 2 for Macarthur, 2 draws, at 2.22 goals per meeting. The host's record in this fixture is thin — 22% of meetings won.
The venue was Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, with room for 30,050 spectators. Half-time and full-time told different stories: Melbourne Victory led 2-1 at the break, before 2 more goals closed it at 4-1.
Goal scorers
Melbourne Victory: Sebastian Esposito (63'), Charles Nduka (66'), Denis Genreau (25'), Damien Da Silva (11' og) · Macarthur: Luke Vickery (37')
Key stats
Possession: Melbourne Victory 50% · Macarthur 50% · Total shots: 20-7 · On target: 8-2 · Corners: 3-3