Melbourne City defeats Wellington Phoenix 3-2 without injured striker Jamie Maclaren
Questions about how Melbourne City would score without injured star Jamie Maclaren have been emphatically answered with an exciting dash of youth stepping up to send City to the top of the A-League table.
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There were suggestions of Melbourne City being a one-man team this season.
On Sunday night they quashed that theory in emphatic fashion, coming from behind to beat Wellington Phoenix 3-2 at AAMI Park to jump to the top of the A-League table.
While injured striker Jamie Maclaren had scored all four of City’s A-League goals in its first three matches, they shared the scoring load against Phoenix with a strong youthful flavour to boot.
Connor Metcalfe, Scott Galloway and Craig Noone all stepped up to secure victory in front of a small but jubilant 6440 AAMI Park crowd.
City has a golden chance to entrench itself atop the table, despite Maclaren’s absence, when it hosts Central Coast on Friday night.
CITY RESHUFFLE
With Harrison Delbridge suspended and Richard Windbichler injured, midfielder Josh Brillante stepped in at stopper alongside Curtis Good, and Young Socceroos striker Moudi Najjar was picked to replace Maclaren up front.
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Aided by City coach Erick Mombaerts’ decision to pick inverted wingers, ex Cardiff City man Noone proved a handful on the right, but their football was balanced out with character.
“It’s the beginning of this championship, but it's an important win,” Mombaerts said.
“We had some players injured, started this game with a lot of young payers and they show they have the quality to play well. We conceded the first goal, I liked the reaction of this.”
BACKING YOUTH
Najjar was one of 10 Under-23 players on the teamsheet fort City and among four starters.
Mombaerts said that they must invest in and improve the kids while Maclaren was absent, and the early signs were good.
Most of them got themselves in good goalscoring positions, and with persistence and the backing of the coach, some of those chances will turn into goals.
A few months ago, some may have thought Griffiths, Metcalfe and Denis Genreau was the back-up midfield trio, but they were key.
Genreau and Metcalfe were the standouts of the youngsters, probing and producing neat little combinations that tested Phoenix’s defensive shape.
“Denis and Connor (were good). All young (players) did their job today,” Mombaerts said.
“Training is very important but playing is more important to increase their experience. They have to improve.”
“If we want to achieve something they have to think they want to improve and they need to be strong.”
THE COMEBACK
Noone whipped in a teasing cross that onrushing Metcalfe headed home after a clever Genreau release.
It was an important goal, coming six minutes after former Celtic striker Gary Hooper opened the scoring for Wellington — aided by poor set piece marking from City — and turned the tide.
Right-back Scott Galloway them bombed forward and unleashed a belter that went in via the upright.
Genreau’s second-half cross struck Louis Fenton’s hand and Noone stepped up to smash the ball into the top right corner.
Olyroo Ramy Najjarine impressed off the bench, as did debutant Stefan Colakovski, who replaced injured Metcalfe.
Colakovski’s brief cameo was scintillating, and he had great chances to score late, sending his header over the bar just moments after unleashing a long-range shot that was blocked, before having a late shot saved by keeper Stefan Marinovic.
Phoenix were good value, but no points from four games will concern coach Ufuk Talay.
.@scottgalloway31 with an absolute 💣💣💣 #MCYvWEL #ForeverCity pic.twitter.com/9wnnOXJV2X
— Melbourne City FC ðŸ™ï¸ (@MelbourneCity) November 3, 2019
MELBOURNE CITY 3 (Metcalfe 30, Galloway 34, Noone PEN 63)
WELLINGTON PHOENIX 2 (Hooper 24, Waine 90+3)
Crowd: 6440 at AAMI Park
City (4-3-3): Bouzanis; Galloway, Brillante, Good, Jamieson; Griffiths, Genreau, Metcalfe (Colakovski 78); Noone (Najjarine 67), Wales, Najjar (Luna 54).
Wellington (4-2-3-1): Marinovic; Fenton, Taylor, DeVere, Scott; Rufer (Waine 67), Steinmann; Davilla, Ball, Piscopo (McCowatt 46); Hooper (Sotirio 46).
Referee: Benjamin Abraham
Red cards: Nil.
DAVUTOVIC’S MAN OF THE MATCH: CONNOR METCALFE (CITY)
A host of City players stepped up including makeshift Noone, Griffiths, Good, Genreau and makeshift defender Brillante, but Metcalfe’s midfield bite, positivity and his first goal were crucial to the outcome.
Originally published as Melbourne City defeats Wellington Phoenix 3-2 without injured striker Jamie Maclaren