That’s it from QBE Stadium

But it was a well-deserved win for the Phoenix, whose best were Roy Krishna, Roly Bonevacia and skipper Andrew Durante. Thanks for sticking with us for all the developments from Auckland and we’ll see you for lots more live A-League action throughout this 2015-16 season.

90+3 min: Wellington are pretty much home now. What an effort it’s been to knock off the league-leaders in a very entertaining game of football.

90+2 min: Barbarouses has a nice ball in to Berisha but he can’t quite get purchase on the header which sums up a dirty day for the striker, who has been frustrated at every turn. We’ve got five minutes of added time by the way, not six.

90+1 min: Ben Sigmund is on for the hero Roy Krishna as the late subs continue.

89 min: It’s just time-wasting now. Bonevacia goes off for a well-earned rest and so does Rashid Mahazi for the Victory. He’s replaced by Connor Pain and Bonevacia by Alex Rufer.

86 min: My computer is as worn out as the respective defences here so you’ll have to excuse the brevity of my last few updates. Finkler wins a corner for the Victory and cracks it to the near post but Georgevski hasn’t got much to work with so it’s a goal kick to Glen Moss

84 min: We’ll have six minutes of added time after that injury to referee Allan Milliner. Jeffrey Sarpong makes a late appearance for the Nix and Michael McGlinchey is the man to make way.

83 min: Finkler spears a nice cross in to a busy pack of players but Khalfallah’s meaty header crashes into the side netting.

82 min: Krishna slips through the Victory defence but again he’s off side. You wouldn’t bet against him scoring here though.

80 min: Now the local fans have their kits off and the sight of them waving their shirts over their heads is about as pretty as the football right at the moment. They’re loving it and why wouldn’t you? They’re ten minutes from knocking off the league-leaders.

79 min: Wellington are playing like men possessed all of a sudden, attacking at will and benefiting from Melbourne’s tired and sloppy defending. Even the normally reliable Vukovic sprays a clearance.

78 min: One thing is for certain: we’ll now have a lot of added time and you’d have to say that the break for the ref’s injury might have stemmed Melbourne’s momentum. It’s a tough break for them.

76 min: Alex King now gets his chance to officiate as Allan Milliner dejectedly trudges off, throwing his whistle at a trestle table as his 50th A-League game ends in miserable style. He doesn’t even have a dug-out to punch, the poor bloke.

74 min: This game has everything. Now Allan Milliner has hit the deck with a hamstring injury and it looks as though he might have to go off. Ernie Merrick calls his men in for a very welcome team huddle. 10,852 fans are in tonight, by the way. That’s excellent stuff from the Nix faithful.

72 min: The danger certainly hasn’t passed for Wellington but there’s always a chance that they’ll score on their rare counters with Krishna and Bonevacia providing such a compelling double act. The latter has another curling shot here but it’s unsuccessful. Krishna is a real handful for Geria.

70 min: This is super-human stuff from Glen Moss who continues to keep Victory out and there’s yet another hairy moment when Riera is clattered into by Geria. That’s a clear yellow card. He pole-axed him.

68 min: Melbourne win another corner but Finkler’s ball is cleared. Then there’s nearly a calamity for Glen Moss when he catches a Barbarouses cross but then crashes into his teammate Louis Fenton, coughing up the ball in the process. Luckily another teammate clears.

66 min: Get near a TV if you’re not. Both teams are running themselves ragged as this game continues at rapid pace. Krishna gets on the end of a Route 1 clearance to dink around a defender and pass to Bonevacia but the Dutchman’s curling shot is safely snaffled by Vukovic.

64 min: This remains a frenzy at QBE. Now Moss is called into action to beat away a header from Finkler’s corner and Wellington continue to live on the edge. They can’t sit and wait. Melbourne are really rising to the task.

63 min: The Nix probably need to start doing a little more here; they’re getting zero time on the ball but then completely against the run of play Bonevacia fakes once and then picks out Krishna with a through-ball but the dasher is off side. Unlucky.

62 min: Actually, Khalfallah might have had a penalty shout there on that rebound. Manny Muscat stuck a fairly clumsy leg in but Milliner waved it away. Bozanic has a cheeky left foot shot and it brings a super save out of Glen Moss diving to his right to parry it away.

60 min: Crack! Finkler fizzes a volley towards Glen Moss and though it swerves all over the place the keeper is up to the challenge and fists it away. Khalfallah does well with the follow-up to charge in towards goal looking like he’ll score a try but he’s held up well enough that the danger is repelled.

59 min: The positive here for Wellington is that without any of the possession in the last 15 minutes they at least haven’t conceded, though now Bonevacia is in the book when he prevents Finkler from taking a quick free kick. That was pretty blatant.

57 min: Manny Muscat gets his first yellow card of the season here when he fouls Berisha just outside the box and the big striker has the crazy eyes going in response to this slight. Finkler has the set piece out wide, tries to drill it through the wall and it cops an interesting deflection but it’s into the side netting.

54 min: Bonevacia has recovered sufficiently from that knock late in the first half but his impact has been minimal in the early stages of this half. Fenton thinks he’s won his side a corner but apparently he got the last touch, so it’s Vukovic’s goal kick instead.

52 min: Finkler finds more space out on the right and fires in a cross but Bozanic’s touch is a little heavy and bobbles out for a goal kick to Glen Moss.

51 min: Khalfallah is a real threat again, threading his way through the Nix defence with ridiculous ease but his left-foot shot flies a foot or two high. Still, so far so good from the Victory in creating chances.

50 min: Melbourne go forward and Berisha is trying to bully his way into some space but Finkler’s cross cops a deflection so the Nix clear it. Bozanic wins possession and sends in a low, dangerous cross but Durante clears. Then there’s another chance but Barbarouses duffs a shot on goal. Ooh, he should have done better there on his left. It was a decent opening.

48 min: There’s another horror moment here for Geria when his side-footed clearance just sits up about 35 yards out but the danger soon subsides.

47 min: Ben Khalfallah is busy again in the early stages of this half and Georgevski goes down like a sack of spuds after a challenge from Muscat but the ref’s having none of his penalty cries.

“Fightball not football” is Mark Bosnich’s take on that first half

...and he’s not wrong. There were feet flying everywhere in the middles stages of the half but when things settled down, Wellington were superb on the counter and it’s the pace of Roy Krishna that has got them both of their goals. Melbourne can’t complain. They’ve just lacked the kind of sharp edge that Krishna and Bonevacia have offered for the home side. Simple.

45+2 min: Krishna is off for some treatment now but he’s more than earned his keep in this first half, scoring the first goal and doing everything bar put the second home.

45+1 min: Kevin Muscat looks like he’s at a funeral now. His side has been torn apart in this first half but we finally get a breather from the break-neck pace of it all when Krishna goes down after an accidental elbow to the chin.

43 min: Geria takes a quick free kick for the Victory and it catches the Nix defence off guard, bobbling threw into the box off a deflection. Glen Moss maintains his composure to move quickly and wrap it up.

42 min: Bonevacia continues to be a menacing presence whenever Victory defenders try to clear and perhaps that’s playing on their minds a little here because they’ve been very sloppy in the last 15 minutes.

40 min: Manny Muscat has been superb today after that early blow to the head and he’s right in the thick of it again here as McGlinchey takes a free kick forty yards out, sending a driving, low cross into the box. Victory clear through Bozanic.

39 min: It’s lung-busting stuff at the moment with both sides swinging quickly into attack on the counter. Finkler floats a corner across to Khalfallah, who traps it and offloads to Georgevski but his little dink inside is insubstantial and quickly cleared.

38 min: Gawd, replays show that the Bonevacia touch was just glorious to get past two Victory defenders. It took the best of Vukovic to keep out the shot, too.

37 min: There’s another nice touch here from Khalfallah but Nix keeper Glen Moss is up to the challenge in his 100th game for Wellington.

36 min: It’s a real hack-fest here, both in regards to the tackling and the number of balls booted in the air but then there’s a moment of sheer brilliance from Bonevacia, who gets clear with a glorious spin move outside the penalty box but his curling shot to the right of goal is tipped clear by Vukovic. Brilliant football. There’s a follow-up chance for McGlinchey but somehow Victory survive further scoreboard damage. They’re being thoroughly outplayed on the counter.

34 min: Georgevski makes a foray forward here, dashing into attack, but he can’t reel in a heavy ball before it bounces out for a goal kick.

33 min: There’s some wonderful vision and passing here from Barbarouses but somehow Berisha misses out when Khalfallah leaves the ball behind when he was looking to dab a pass inside.

32 min: A miscued clearance for the Victory gifts McGlinchey a corner for the Nix but again he grubs it in and the Victory clear. Mike, buddy, c’mon.

31 min: If I didn’t menton it before it was Jason Geria who failed to clear Krishna’s goal off the line before. He got a foot in but stabbed it straight into the roof of the net. Oof, now Fenton goes down for the Nix and it’s Khalfallah who has accidentally felled him attempting to kick. Instead he got Fenton’s head. Ouch.

29 min: The stand behind Vukovic’s goal is completely empty, it turns out. No wonder they were showing the crowd from side-on before. Bonevacia swings a free kick into the penalty area but the Victory clear from a scrum of players.

28 min: Ben Khalfallah has been an angry ant today too and nothing he’s seen in the last 15 minutes will have pleased him much, but the game finally settles down a bit as Finkler goes into attack for Melbourne. His pass bobbles around on the edge of the penalty area and Berisha almost wriggles his way through but the home side eventually clears.

26 min: The local fans must be loving this. They’ve got the lead and whisper it quietly, but they’re also probably winning the fight.

25 min: In actual fact, Durante got more of his teammate Lia there. Both of them sandwiched Berisha with boots flying. Now Alex Rodriquez gets a yellow when he flies in with his studs up at Bozanic. It’s his first challenge of the day and he’s in the book. It’s kamikaze stuff from both sides.

24 min: Oof, now there’s a heaby challenge on Berisha by Durante and the Wellington skipper is also booked. Berisha is writhing in pain. Payback time, that one. Two Nix players went at him. Milliner has to take control here. It’s getting wild.

22 min: Krishna almost latches onto another through ball out right but the Victory defence is looking to slow down the tempo a little here. We know this Melbourne side doesn’t finish off games brilliantly but there’s plenty of endeavour from Besart Berisha when he goes flying into Durante to earn himself a yellow card. Berisha’s really not happy and there’s lots of spice in this all of a sudden. The challenge didn’t look completely terrible but Referee Milliner is holding Berisha away from irritated opponents. It’s on!

20 min: Well, it was a period of ascendancy from Wellington that lead to that goal and you can’t say they were undeserving, even if the precise nature of it was a little lucky.

17 min: Did Vince Lia cop a knock then? He’s limping a little which will be of concern to Phoenix fans given his recent hamstring problems.

16 min: Oof, Victory swing into attack in no time and they press hard. Berisha has an opening the quickly disappears and after all the drama of that free kick a minute ago this game has come to life.

12 min: Georgevski has a throw for Victory and Kevin Muscat uses the opportunity to whisper a tactic or two and there’s some concern for the coach’s namesake Manny, with the Wellington man battling after an apparent blow to the head. He stays on for now.

11 min: There’s no lack of endeavor here from either side but it’s all summarised well from a wild hoof towards goal from McGlinchey, which was a tad optimistic from 45 yards out and ends up landing in row Z.

9 min: Is the pitch playing a role in this unattractive football, perhaps? Again Mahazi has a red-hot crack when Bonevacia’s on the ball and there’s a free kick as a result, but the cross-goal ball to the far post is a little heavy and goes out for a goal kick.

8 min: Barbarouses is causing Wellington all sorts of trouble out on the right with his turn of speed but still can’t find a way through when Melbourne go forward. Broxham gets taken down as heavily as Bonevacia before. 1-1.

6 min: The Nix get their first corner of the day but McGlinchey really grubs his cross. No matter, Victory make a hash of the clearance and it’s bobbling around for a while in a threatening position. Melbourne finally clear.

5 min: Fenton gets a throw in attack for Wellington and there’s a heavy challenge on Bonevacia, the most frequently hacked man in the league according to the local commentators. Bit much? He’s grimacing, I know that.

4 min: Melbourne assume control of possession in quick time and Barbarouses rounds his man on the right flank, but his move is ambitious and the ball dribbles away for another goal kick. So far, so uneventful.

2 min: Wellington sweep forward for the first time but it’s all a bit aimless to start with. Kiwi international Kosta Barabrouses gets some time on the ball but it’s all pretty scrappy.

Some final notes on weather and pitch conditions

It’s a pleasant 17 degrees in Auckland as I type this and you know what I said about QBE looking a treat? Apparently it’s not so great close up and the pre-match talk on Fox Sports is a pretty dismal playing surface. Hopefully it doesn’t affect the spectacle too much.

Our teams tonight

Wellington Phoenix : 1.Glen Moss (GK), 2.Manny Muscat, 4.Roly Bonevacia, 8.Alex Rodriguez, 10.Michael McGlinchey, 13.Albert Riera, 16.Louis Fenton, 17.Vince Lia, 19.Tom Doyle, 21.Roy Krishna, 22.Andrew Durante (c)

SUBS: 7. Jeffrey Sarpong, 12.Blake Powell, 20.Lewis Italiano (GK), 23.Matthew Ridenton

Melbourne Victory: 1.Danny Vukovic (GK), 2. Jason Geria, 5.Daniel Gerogievski, 6.Leigh Broxham (c), 7.Gui Finkler, 8.Besart Berisha, 9.Kosta Barbarouses, 13.Oliver Bozanic, 14.Fahid Ben Khalfallah, 16.Rashid Mahazi, 17.Matthieu Delpierre

SUBS: 11.Connor Pain, 18.Dylan Murnane, 20.Lawrence Thomas(GK), 22.Jesse Makarounas, 24.Thomas Deng

Referee: Alan Milliner. Assistants: Mark Rule and Glen Lochrie

Preamble

Hello A-League fans and welcome to today’s live coverage as league leaders Melbourne take on the ‘Nix over at QBE Stadium in Auckland, which looks a treat from live blog central, even if it’s not even the home side’s actual home ground. It makes me think of the now-defunct New Zealand Knights, the football side whose armour turned out to be made from cardboard, toilet roll holders and craft glue. It’s 1^st vs 7^th today; a real David and Goaliath affair. See what I did there?

Russell Jackson here to take you through all the action today. Don’t hesitate to get in contact on the details above, even if it’s only petty abuse for a grammatical error and dad jokes. The Victory eased to a 3-0 win last time these two sides met and you’d have to say that they enter this one as outright favourites, having maintained that sparkling form ever since. Wellington? Not so much. In bursts they’re okay. Hopefully they have one of those today. History tells us that there’ll at least be some goals.

And tonight’s milestone man is...

Russ will be here shortly to take you through all the live actions but in the meantime, why not take a look at Mike Ticher’s appeal to the powers that be: ‘Respect the A–League boycott. The fans make the games worth watching’.