Melbourne Victory move top of A-League ladder with triumph over Western Sydney

Melbourne Victory have moved to the top of the A-League ladder with a 3-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Pirtek Stadium.

Both sides had early chances to strike in the first half, but arguably the best opportunity came to the Victory's Archie Thompson, who received the ball in the centre of the box and unleashed a shot, but his effort went wide.

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In the 25th minute, Besart Berisha found the breakthrough for the visitors by heading the ball in from close range towards the bottom right corner.

The forward made history by reaching 10 goals for a fourth season in a row, which no other A-League player has accomplished.

The Victory may have taken the lead but the Wanderers responded well as Yianni Perkatis, Kerem Bulut and Nick Kalmar all had chances to draw level.

After the break, the Wanderers continued to push, but they were dealt another blow when their opponents doubled their lead.

Thompson broke free to slot into the bottom corner with his right foot after receiving a well-timed through-ball from Fahid Ben Khalfallah.

The midfielder earned another assist in the 81st minute by lofting the ball over the top towards Berisha. He glided the ball past goalkeeper Ante Covic, who came off his line but failed to smother the danger.

Wanderers had opportunities to get back into the game, but in the end, their revival from the bottom half of the standings was halted by Victory.