Melbourne Victory made history with a record-breaking 6-0 thrashing of City in the Westfield W-League Derby on Sunday.
Summary
Victory produced a scintillating display at CB Smith Reserve, recording the biggest win in the history of the Melbourne Derby.
Annalie Longo, Melina Ayres, Lisa De Vanna, Amy Jackson, Catherine Zimmerman and Kyra Cooney-Cross scored in the win, which came in Jeff Hopkins’ 100th game as a head coach in the Westfield W-League.
Victory was in outstanding form in the Derby clash and City had no answers.
Gaby Garton was called into action in the third minute, the goalkeeper smothering at the feet of Harriet Withers to deny City after Kayla Morrison slipped on the last line of defence.
Victory made an otherwise bright start and Longo fired wide in the eighth minute after a scramble in the area following Cooney-Cross’ corner.
De Vanna was the next to threaten, bursting clear down the left before shooting wide from an angle.
Victory was rewarded for its fine start with the opener through Longo in the 16th minute.
De Vanna played a wonderfully weighted through ball and Longo produced a clinical finish to make it 1-0.
Ayres doubled the lead for Victory just before the half-hour mark.
Angela Beard intercepted a pass and exchanged passes with De Vanna before being denied by City goalkeeper Teagan Micah, but Ayres was on hand to tap in.
Cooney-Cross and Ayres had chances to finish the half, while Polly Doran produced two good pieces of defending at the other end.
Victory almost made it 3-0 on the hour-mark, Ayres hitting the crossbar after receiving a pass from Cooney-Cross, while Zimmerman was just unable to get on the end of a De Vanna cross soon after.
The chances kept coming and Garton made a good save to deny Withers from close range in the 65th minute.
But it was all Victory to finish as De Vanna made it 3-0 with a wonderful individual goal in the 72nd minute.
The Westfield Matildas great produced a great dummy inside her own half before accelerating and finishing into the bottom corner.
Jackson added a fourth with a fine finish after a one-two with Ayres before MelindaJ Barbieri set up Zimmerman for her first Westfield W-League goal.
Cooney-Cross made it six in additional time, using her speed before finishing after a pass from Tiffany Eliadis.
Result
Westfield W-League 2020/21 Round 3
City 0
Melbourne Victory 6 (Annalie Longo 16′, Melina Ayres 29′, Lisa De Vanna 72′, Amy Jackson 80′, Catherine Zimmerman 90′, Kyra Cooney-Cross 90+2′)
Next up
Victory will look to do a Derby double when it meets City again next week, hosting the clash at Epping Stadium on January 17.
