KEY POINTS:
Stung by a humbling 5-1 home loss against Waitakere United a couple of days before Santa handed out his goodies, Team Wellington hit the road yesterday and emphatically handed the Aucklanders that "anything you can do so can we" message.
In thumping YoungHeart Manawatu 8-0 at FMG Stadium in Palmerston North, Stu Jacobs' Welling-tonians equalled Waitakere's New Zealand Football Championship record win against Otago United lastseason.
Graham Little and Luis Coralles helped themselves to hat-tricks.
Yesterday's victory ensured the status quo at the top of the table remained.
The only other eighth-round victory came in the deepest south where Otago United beat nearest rivals Canterbury United 2-0 at Carisbrook to snap a 23-match winless streak dating back to round five last season.
That win, with second-half goals to Chad Severs and Terry Alvino, relegated once-proud Canterbury to the foot of the table as the only team yet to win this season.
At the top of the table, the big three again showed the pretenders they are in no mood to hand up play-offspots.
Auckland City, despite being reduced to just nine players in the dying minutes at Park Island, held on to beat a spirited Hawkes Bay United 1-0 with Joel Mathews and Greg Uhlmann not seeing it through.
Captain Ben Sigmund scored the match-winner after 17 minutes when he tapped home after a free kick rocket from former Korean international Ki-Hyung Lee had been blocked and spilled by Bay goalkeeper Mitch O'Brien.
City remain a point clear of Waitakere United, who hold second on goal difference from Team Wellington following their 2-0 win over Waikato FC on Saturday.
Hawkes Bay, eight points back, are next best but even with 13 rounds to play they face a massive task if they are to get into the top three and make the play-offs.
In a truncated round this weekend, Auckland City are away to Canterbury and Waitakere travel to play Team Wellington in matches brought forward from later rounds when the Auckland sides will be involved in O-League play-offs.
Earlier games between Waitakere and Wellington have been "honours shared" with the capital side winning 2-1 away in the season opener and Waitakere helping themselves to the festive goodies - also away.
Waitakere coach Chris Milicich will be looking for a more complete performance than he saw at Fred Taylor Park.
While there was never any doubt the home side would win, they simply hit cruise control for the second half after an own goal, from the second of the 11 corners they forced, and a well-deserved goal from Benjamin Totori on the half hour gave them a lead the visitors never seriously challenged.
It was a game which produced rare moments of promise with Waitakere's three-man defence of Danny Hay, Jonathan Perry and Darren Bazeley under little pressure and goalkeeper Simon Eaddy given an armchair ride, called on only once to make a diving save.
It was more like a sparring session than the real deal with rookie referee James Thian called on only twice late in the game to flash yellow cards at Waikato defender Jeff Sole and Waitakere's Jake Butler for what appeared pretty innocuous challenges.
