A record A-League crowd watched a fierce new Australian sporting rivalry develop as Melbourne Victory beat Sydney FC 3-2 at Telstra Dome.

Before an ebullient crowd of 39,730 - easily the biggest to watch an A-League home and away clash - the Victory again shone to beat the reigning champions thanks to a Danny Allsopp brace and a penalty from captain Kevin Muscat.

Defeat was bitter for the visitors, who had a defender fouled off the ball, their acting captain sent off and Socceroo Mark Milligan brought down on the hour by a raised elbow from Melbourne striker Fred.

As Milligan was being treated for what appeared a blow to the throat, a heated exchange of words broke out between Melbourne players and Sydney coach Terry Butcher and his assistants.

Milligan later sent a verbal volley Fred's way after the Brazilian was substituted.

In a match chock full of incident, Melbourne went ahead in the eighth minute when Allsopp scored, but only after the Victory's Adrian Leijer ran through Sydney's Robbie Middleby as the corner came in.

Middleby left the ground favouring a collarbone.

Muscat doubled the lead three minutes later when he converted a penalty awarded against Sydney goalie Clint Bolton for his challenge on Alessandro, who charged into the penalty box with only the keeper to beat.

Alessandro copped the ire of the visitors two minutes later as Sydney's Mark Rudan - acting captain following Dwight Yorke's return to England - was issued with a yellow card for a feet-first tackle just near the left corner flag.

Referee Mark Shield then sent Rudan off when the Sydney defender put his leg into Alessandro as the Melbourne player lay on the ground.

A man down from the 13th minute, Sydney did well to score twice - first through Iain Fyfe's commanding header in the 18th minute and then through a David Carney drive in the 83rd, deflected off Melbourne's Rodrigo Vargas.

The visitors battled hard in the dying stages in an effort to find an equaliser in what would have been a brilliant comeback.

Earlier, Muscat and Allsopp combined in their own share of brilliance, as the Melbourne captain arrowed a pass down the ground, which Allsopp latched on to before lobbing the ball over Bolton for the Victory's third goal.

The crowd figure easily eclipsed the 25,557 attendance which watched Sydney FC and Adelaide United late last season.

Butcher said Sydney FC was hurt and angry at the incidents in which Middleby and Milligan were injured.

He said Middleby had been sent to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone and could be sidelined long-term.

"If the police were watching the game there might be one or two cases for an assault charge, having been convicted myself on a football field many years ago," Butcher said.

"Hopefully TV have got good coverage - they normally have because they've got about 100 cameras at games - and I hope authorities take steps because there were lots of things we saw on the ground that we thought we were hard done by."

Butcher said Milligan had received a "stiff arm to the throat" and had nearly swallowed his tongue.

Butcher then said he would support any move for authorities to take action against Fred in the aftermath of the match, as Shield and his two linesmen clearly did not see the incident.

"We saw it very clearly, officials didn't," he said.

"Had they seen it they would have taken action.

"He (Milligan) nearly swallowed his tongue and we were very worried by that, and he came off and recovered and then he went back on."

Asked if referees should be given the chance to look at replays of controversial incidents, Butcher said: "I think authorities (should) take action after the game.

"If the referee doesn't see it, he doesn't see it."

Victory coach Ernie Merrick said he did not see the Fred-Milligan incident, and denied he substituted his player to protect him from potential retaliation.

"No, Fred can handle anything," he said.

Butcher said his players had shown great heart to keep fighting after Rudan's send-off.

"I thought we deserved to get something with the character and spirit of the players, they were absolutely magnificent," Butcher said.

Merrick rued missed chances to finish Sydney off early in the match, but was clearly thrilled with his side's start to the season, which includes wins over last season's minor premier and champion and the massive crowd.

"I'm not worried about too much with two wins from two matches against two of the best sides in Australia with a crowd of (almost) 40,000," he said.

"I could do with a beer."

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