Melbourne Victory recorded a morale boosting 3-0 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers at Marconi Stadium in Round 9 of the W-League.

First half goals from Stephanie Catley and Racheal Quigley and a second half goals from the returning Lisa De Vanna saw the Victory maintain their perfect record over the Wanderers.

Many parts of the Victory cog perform well in light of the pressure the team were under to gain a result. A reshuffled defence of Catley, Hannah Brewer, Gema Simon and Gulcan Koca functioned well, particularly in the second half, to provide the returning Brianna Davey with plenty of cover.

The match was won by the Victory in the first half through a combination of good play and a slice of luck.

Much of the attacking good play was instigated by three players; Catley, De Vanna and Christine Nairn.

It was also a game where the importance of De Vanna to the Victory midfield and forward line was underscored. It is no coincidence that in her absence Victory struggled to score sufficient goals and lacked a focal point.

For much of De Vanna's career there has been a lot of focus on her explosive speed and the havoc it creates. She has also almost exclusively judged on goals scored. While much of her said speed is present, it has been fascinating to observe De Vanna's career follow the trajectory of a senior player adapting, changing their game to complement the players around them.

Last season, she was Melbourne's second leading assist provider and she is again this season (behind Nairn). At times there are still some decision making which can be termed positively as questionable or conversely as a selfishness but as a whole her quality is still undeniable.

The unpredictability off the pitch is an asset on the pitch and one many coaches, Joe Montemurro included, are prepared to back themselves to manage.

The effect of the striker on the midfield is that the match opens up for them. Where Melbourne's midfield in recent weeks looked to be playing too narrow due to lack of options, with De Vanna and a more advanced Catley on opposite wings, suddenly there is more space for them and the other strikers.

Nairn had more time, with the Wanderers defence forced to drop deeper to account for the pace of De Vanna, which makes her more dangerous. Amy Jackson and Ella Mastrantonio were also beneficiaries as they could patrol and shutdown outlets for Linda O'neill, Keelin Winters and Caitlin Jarvie.

It took almost half hour for the Wanderers to finally work their way into the match and the response was unsurprisingly led by Winters.

Her ability to pick out the pass to Michelle Carney, who was excellent in presenting time and again, Hannah Beard or the runs of Helen Petinos on the left, led to the Wanderers their best chances of the match.

The best one came in the 28th minute when Petinos, through on goal, was brought down by Brianna Davey. Inexplicably Kirralee Andruschak waved away the penalty shout.

It was a game changer for two reasons. Firstly, the obvious one is that the Wanderers would have had an opportunity to level the scoreboard which brings with it all sorts of positive consequences.

Secondly, even if they had not scored, a penalty call would have meant Davey's sending off, resulting in not only Melbourne reduced to 10 players but the entrance of a debut goalkeeper who had not played top flight football for two years.

Melbourne dodged those bullets and eight minutes later doubled their lead with an excellent counter attack finished off by a Quigley half volley.

The Wanderers had another penalty shout turned down late in the half, a more 50/50 handball call, and were dealt a further blow with the influential Beard substituted following a collision with Catley.

The second half was all Melbourne with Wanderers unable to create any clear cut chances despite Carney hard work and Petinos and Johnson's excellent delivery from out wide.

Koca was more than effective at full back with her surging runs and neat distribution providing balance on the right while the newly returned Caitlin Friend looked to have renewed her understanding with De Vanna last season. Defensively the centre back pairing of Brewer and Simon did their job adequately.

The newly UEFA Pro Licensed Montemurro, after a number of weeks of being devoid of selection choices, now has a couple to make with the imminent return of Emma Checker and Beattie Goad from Young Matildas duties and defender Lauren Barnes (family commitment).

For the Wanderers, it is case of closing out the season with pride and avoiding the wooden spoon. On the evidence of the last couple of weeks, they will be a tricky opponent for any teams with finals aspirations.

Next up for Melbourne Victory is another test of their finals credentials with the dangerous Brisbane Roar and the Wanderers face Perth Glory on the road.

Western Sydney Wanderers 0

Melbourne Victory 3 (Stephanie Catley 4’, Racheal Quigley 38’, Lisa De Vanna 74’)

Sunday 9 November 2014

Marconi Stadium, Sydney

Kick-off: 3pm

Referee: Kirralee Andruschak

Western Sydney Wanderers: Trudy Burke (gk), Caitlin Cooper, Jessica Seaman, Caitlin Jarvie (Laura Donnelly 82’), Helen Petinos (Grace Henry 82’), Rachael Soutar, Kendall Johnson, Keelin Winters, Michelle Carney, Hannah Beard (Demi Koulizakis 35’), Linda O’Neill

Substitutes – Sham Khamis (gk)

Cautions – Helen Petinos 59’

Melbourne Victory: Brianna Davey (gk) (Erin Herd 78’), Hannah Brewer, Gema Simon, Stephanie Catley, Amy Jackson (Alexandra Natoli 88’), Racheal Quigley (Caitlin Friend 69’), Christine Nairn, Lisa De Vanna, Ella Mastrantonio, Gulcan Koca, Elli Reed

Substitutes – Tiffany Eliadis