Anas Hamzaoui, Lachlan Barr, Adam Bugarija and Jarrod Carluccio were handed starts, while Luke Bodnar and Kaelan Majekodunmi were axed from the squad altogether.
A banner reading “Time for a response” was unfurled in the Glory supporters’ area before the match.
Glory striker Adam Taggart fired an early warning shot with a powerful header that sailed high, and his ambitious 24-yard strike from an angle in the 15th minute forced a sharp save from goalkeeper Joshua Oluwayemi.
Phoenix broke through in the 39th minute when defender Wootton nodded home from close range following a delicate free kick from Hideki Ishige.
Glory’s 1-0 deficit at halftime was at least a huge improvement on the 5-0 scoreline at the break last week.
But with Glory lacking any real spark, Zdrilic made a triple substitution at halftime, bringing on David Williams, Khoa Ngo and former Phoenix midfielder Nicholas Pennington.
Still, it took just four minutes into the second half for Wellington to double their lead – and it was largely the result of a damning piece of defending from Glory.
Kazuki Nagasawa sent a speculative high cross into the box which should have been easy for Glory’s defence to deal with.
But Anas Hamzaoui’s decision to leave the ball for someone else allowed Payne to steam in and nail the free header.
Glory finished the match with just one shot on target, and it promises to get no easier as they face Central Coast away next week before returning home to host Melbourne City.
“That first [goal] was irritating, just for the fact that we gave away too many free kicks,” Zdrilic said.
“Second one, it’s just a defending error.
“I think overall, it was a big improvement. You can see the framework’s there, but we still have a way to go.”
Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano said he was delighted with the win.
“I was very happy. We dug in deep, especially in the first 20 minutes when I thought they were on top,” Italiano said.
