Melbourne Victory kept some pressure on A-League leaders Sydney FC with a 3-0 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday.
Besart Berisha and James Troisi struck either side of the break in Gosford before the former sealed the result late on to end the Mariners' three-game winning run.
The win also took Kevin Muscat's men to within eight points of Sydney, who suffered their first league loss of the season in a derby defeat to the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
The Mariners' finals hopes were dealt a blow with the defeat, Central Coast sitting five points behind the sixth-placed Wanderers.
Victory were on top from the outset away from home before taking a 25th-minute lead.
A fine team move led to Marco Rojas finding Daniel Georgievski, who cut back for Berisha to tap in his 15th league goal of the season.
The visitors would have to wait until the 58th minute to double their lead, with Troisi dispossessing Jake McGing before firing a powerful effort past Paul Izzo and into the roof of the net from an angle.
Muscat's side sealed their win in the 91st minute as Berisha completed his brace to extend Victory's unbeaten run to three matches.
Victory host Adelaide United on Saturday, while the Mariners face the Newcastle Jets in the F3 Derby a day later.
