By Lachlan Mitchell
Melbourne City has clinched the 2022 Premiers Plate.
The Casey based-side has finished the regular A-League season on top of the ladder after a dominant display.
The title race came down to the final match of the season with City having to win its final game against Wellington Phoenix.
Melbourne Victory was the other team in the race for top spot after a 4-1 victory over Sydney FC.
Victory then had a two-point advantage at the top of the table to claim the coveted prize.
City’s Jamie Maclaren also had the Golden Boot in his sights after going on a stellar run scoring 14 goals this season coming into the match.
The clash at AAMI Park had all the intensity and passion of a finals atmosphere.
Melbourne Victory had a strong contingency of supporters in the stadium to jeer against its cross-town rivals.
City had a good record against the New-Zealand-based side with the boys in blue smouldering Phoenix by six goals in early April.
This clash had it all to play for and started off with high intensity as both sides knew what was on the line.
Melbourne City started strongly, continually pushing the advantage as an attacking build-up caused an early corner.
A well swung-in corner from Taras Gomulka was too strong for the Phoenix defence.
Wellington defender Sam Sutton leapt to clear it with his head and deflected it towards goal beating keeper Oliver Sail.
The ball clattered against the net giving City the advantage in the seventh minute.
City continued to dominate proceedings with Maclaren and Marco Tilio continuing to assault the net.
City had another corner and to Wellington’s disappointment, it was the same result. A Gomulka cross finding the head of Andrew Nabbout who flicked it on to a free Jamie Maclaren who headed home his 17th goal across all competitions.
Matthew Leckie had the opportunity to go three goals ahead in the 27th minute after a blistering run, but was denied by the keeper who palmed the ball to safety.
Maclaren had another opportunity to secure his second of the match, but unfortunately the woodwork denying his brace, just before the half-time whistle.
Phoenix came out after the break with a sparkling new energy and quickly turned that into a goal of their own.
Ben Wain dribbled a ball past the keeper for Wellington’s first of the evening to the delight of Victory fans in the terraces.
The game continued to get more and more heated with the referee handing out a combined six yellow-cards to both sides.
City struggled to push the advantage, failing to link up and fire home a third to push the gap back out to two goals.
Clayton Lewis had Phoenix’s best opportunity of the second-half, firing a free-kick from beyond the 18-yard box into the safe hands of City keeper Thomas Glover.
The final four minutes of extra-time were filled with intensity from players and crowd as City inched closer to the coveted prize.
As the final whistle blew fans and players erupted in jubilation, as City had gone back-to-back in claiming the coveted Premiers Plate.
The night was topped off with Jamie Maclaren winning the coveted golden-boot with 15 goals.
City claimed top-spot by one-point over arch-rivals Melbourne Victory.
The Casey-based side will now get the week off and feature on 17 May against the lowest-ranked finals side
