Wellington Phoenix have held on to claim a 2-1 victory over Newcastle Jets at Wellington's Sky Stadium - helped by two presents from their opponents.
Goals to Callan Elliot and Oskar Zawada gave the home side a 2-0 lead, before Manabu Saito pulled one back for the Jets in the second.
At the end of the first half, Elliot was on hand to fire home after a free-kick, when goalkeeper Jack Duncan spilled a cross into the box from Yan Sasse.
The strike saw Elliot open his A-League account after nearly 40 first-team appearances for the Phoenix.
In first-half stoppage time, the Phoenix were on the receiving end of a generous refereeing decision, when Newcastle midfielder Angus Thurgate appeared to handle the ball in the area, and awarded a penalty by the video assistant referee.
Striker Oskar Zawada stepped up and converted from the spot, beating Duncan to register his 11th goal of the season.
Newcastle got on the scoresheet at the start of the second half, when Saito marked his first A-League start with a goal, beating goalkeeper Oli Sail from close range after a cross into the area from Trent Buhagiar.
However despite a late offensive flurry, the Phoenix held on to record their seventh win of the season.
While the victory didn't see the Phoenix climb the A-League ladder, sitting fifth after 19 games, the three points closed the gap to fourth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers, and moved them four points clear of Sydney FC and the Jets.
Wellington Phoenix 2 (Elliot, Zawada goals) Newcastle Jets 1 (Saito goal)
