Gui Finkler and Connor Pain send Melbourne Victory top of A-League with 2-0 win over Phoenix Gui Finkler lashes home a free kick and Connor Pain scores with his first touch off the bench as Melbourne Victory sweep aside Wellington. Connor Pain of the Victory scored a minute after coming off the bench. MELBOURNE Victory underlined their outstanding depth with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Wellington Phoenix last night to return to the top of the A-League ladder. Brazilian dead-ball specialist Gui Finkler and speedy super-sub Connor Pain scored either side of the break to secure Kevin Muscat a third win in four games. Victory may have lost Besart Berisha, Matthieu Delpierre, Adrian Leijer and Daniel Georgievski through injury or suspension but they controlled the game. Catch all the highlights from Melbourne Victory's clash against Wellington Phoenix. Re-live Victory's win in our A-League Match Centre - with video of the goals, stats, polls and play-by-play commentary. Midfielder Rashid Mahazi and Tunisian winger Fahid Ben Khalfallah were the pick of the four inclusions from the derby win over Melbourne City, while Leigh Broxham was rock-solid at the back and Dylan Murnane didn't flinch at left-back. The Melbourne Cup Eve clash is gathering momentum, with 23,827 attending the clash - the first of the three played at AAMI Park. Another former Victory staffer tried to plot their downfall, with Ernie Merrick's one-time assistant Aaron Healey joining the matchday coaching staff. Guilherme Finkler is mobbed by Victory players after his first-half strike. The visitors deployed a more defensive 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond, with striker Jeremy Brockie dropped to the bench, but it made little difference. The two-pronged attack of Nathan Burns and Michael McGlinchey were starved of chances in the first half, but the former had a one on one right on half time after Dutchman Rolieny Bonevacia slipped him in but keeper Nathan Coe was off his line in a flash. Victory was in control from kick-off, though resilient Phoenix defending kept clear-cut chances to a minimum in the first half. The opener came from a - shock horror - Finkler free-kick. Louis Fenton of the Phoenix and Guilherme Finkler of the Victory contest for the ball Source: Getty Images Finkler's carving a reputation from set pieces and his dangerous flat, pacy free-kick eluded everyone including Phoenix keeper Glen Moss and ended in the net, with Mark Milligan's decoy run helping. Merrick brought on Brockie for the ineffective Alex Rodriguez at half-time and reverted to the 4-3-3 which he's used in the first few rounds and it seemed to suit as they regained some territory and possession. But Victory withstood the brief onslaught and resumed normal service. Connor Pain scores past Glen Moss moments after coming on in the second half. Carl Valeri lasted 67 minutes before signalling to the Victory bench, who didn't hesitate in removing him and the midfielder ran straight up the tunnel. Victory used the chance to make a double sub and Ben Khalfallah was unimpressed at being taken off in his first A-League start. But Kevin Muscat's change took 40 seconds to justify despite Ben Khalfallah's top performance. His replacement Connor Pain got on the end of an Archie Thompson pass and slid the ball through the legs of Moss. Wellington sub Roy Krishna caused issues with his direct running, yet Victory carved the openings, but their own Kiwi winger Kosta Barbarouses shanked his chances. And with AAMI Park due for a resurface before Victory's next game here against Central Coast on November 16, it should only help their swift ball movement. A record Monday night A-League crowd of 23,827 watched the game at AAMI Park. Originally published as Video: Finkler magic as Phoenix feel Pain