Melbourne Victory returned to form in emphatic fashion, smashing a 10-man Newcastle Jets outfit 5-0 at AAMI Park.
The Jets appeared to pay the price for resting big-name stars Michael Bridges and Emile Heskey and were taken apart by a Victory side determined to get its season back on track.
Mark Milligan and Marco Rojas both scored twice for Victory, while Adrian Leijer also hit the target as the home side returned to third on the A-League ladder.
The win broke a run of three losses which culminated in last round’s shock 6-2 defeat to Central Coast Mariners.
Archie Thompson, sidelined with a hamstring injury while his team lost those games, was in the thick of it on return as Victory scored three times in the first 30 minutes.
He played the ball which put Rojas clear into the box for an easy goal in the eighth minute.
Rojas, who was given far too much space by the Jets’ defence, was again involved in the next, seven minutes later.
The New Zealander’s corner kick found Victory skipper Adrian Leijer, who firmly headed home from the near post.
There was almost a replay two minutes later when another Rojas corner found the Victory’s other central defender, Daniel Mullen, who also headed truly.
The goal was disallowed as Milligan was penalised for making contact with the head of Newcastle defender Ruben Zadkovich.
That didn’t stop the home side for long.
Thompson was brought down after weaving into the box, earning the Jets’ Taylor Regan a yellow card and Milligan a 30th-minute penalty, which he converted.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitor early in the second half when Regan gave away another penalty and picked up his second yellow – for dragging down Mullen off the ball – allowing Milligan his second goal from the spot and reducing the Jets to 10 men.
With the win safe, Thompson was subbed off.
But the Victory kept surging.
Rojas showed off his fast feet to dribble past a defender and keeper Mark Birighitti and walk the ball into the net to make it 5-0 in the 66th minute.
The Jets – who rested strikers Emile Heskey and Michael Bridges and were missing Zenon Caravella and Sam Gallaway to injury – stayed fifth.
But their goal difference sank to minus 11, which could prove costly given the tight fight for the bottom two spots in the top six.
Victory is all but guaranteed of a home elimination final but remains six points shy of the second-placed Mariners.