A-League leader Melbourne Victory tightened its stranglehold on rivals Sydney FC with a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Aussie Stadium on Saturday night.

The result moves Victory nine points clear on the table, with second-placed Queensland Roar still to play this weekend against the lowly Newcastle Jets.

Victory striker Archie Thompson scored a second-half brace to seal the visitors' first-ever win on Sydney soil.

Sydney, meanwhile, is 12 points off the pace following its third-straight winless outing.

The game got off to a frenetic start, with two yellow cards and a goal registered in the opening ten minutes.

The successful strike came in the eighth minute when Sydney defender Iain Fyfe put the ever-reliable Steve Corica into space in the middle of the park.

Corica took a couple of touches closer to goal before firing a low left-footed shot from 20 metres which found the bottom left-hand corner.

Only seconds earlier Socceroo Mark Milligan received a yellow card when, in his first game back from a hamstring injury, he exacted revenge on Victory playmaker Fred.

Milligan lunged at the Brazilian with two feet and caught him high on the shins, getting square for the elbow Fred struck Milligan with back in round two.

Milligan and Corica were two of the best on the park in the first half but both picked up hamstring injuries and needed to be replaced before the second stanza began.

The double loss was a turning point in the match, with the Victory hitting back within five minutes of the interval.

Fred pounced onto an Adrian Caceres through ball into the left side of the box, and laid it back to Thompson, who stuck out a foot to prod it home.

Argentine-born Caceres and Thompson again combined for Victory's second midway through the second half.

Caceres floated in a cross from the right-hand side for Thompson to powerfully head home.

As if it were a sign from the gods, the rain became torrential almost immediately after that goal and much of the 20,881 crowd began to leave.

The trying conditions made it difficult for Sydney to create any clear-cut chances for the equaliser, and Melbourne was able to hold on.

The loss was Sydney's first at home in more than a year and the second consecutive game it squandered an early lead.

"We've been in the lead quite a few times in matches and not seen it out and that annoys me because we've put ourselves into a good position and then we've ended up conceding goals, losing matches and losing points," Sydney coach Terry Butcher said.

Melbourne counterpart Ernie Merrick again had reason to be delighted with his men, saying they showed resolve to turn the match around in the second half.

"It was a tough one. I thought, to their credit, Sydney really put us under pressure in the first half ... they overwhelmed us, pressured us and dominated, really," the Scotsman said.

"But we changed that around in the second half and it was good to get the two goals."

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