Phoenix arrest slump with win over Newcastle Jets

The Wellington Phoenix have had a welcome return to form with a 2-1 A-League men's win over the Newcastle Jets in Wellington.

Phoenix went into the game after losing their last three, but Kosta Barbarouses gave them quick hope the slump was over when he scored a spectacular goal in just the third minute.

Paulo Retre scored just his sixth goal - and his first for the Phoenix - in his 199th A-League fixture in the 59th minute, giving his side a two-goal buffer.

But the Jets hit back 14 minutes with a goal to Ben Gibson later to give the match an extra edge. The Phoenix, though, held their nerve to register their first home win of the season, keeping out Newcastle, who were the stronger attacking side but fell short in the finishing department.

The match highlight was the quick thinking of Barbarouses, who latched on to a loose ball and spotting Jets goalkeeper Ryan Scott being well forward, let launch from 45 metres with a flailing Scott being unable to scramble back.

"Kosta has been in unbelievable form. He deserves everything he gets,'' Phoenix captain Alex Rufer told Sky Sport.

Retre, too, earned a compliment for seizing on a poor Jets clearance and blasting in a rare goal.

"He thoroughly deserved that tonight," Rufer said.

The skipper said it was an important result as the Phoenix look to turn around their season after their straight losses to Auckland FC.

"We have obviously had a few disappointing results and performances in the last two weeks so today's goal was to win. We did that, we still have a lot to work on, but ... the most important thing is we got three points."

Consecutive losses to Auckland FC, Macarthur and the Western Sydney Wanderers had seen the Phoenix slump to ninth place, but they moved two places up upwards with the win, though with other results still to play out this weekend.

The Wellington Phoenix next face a trip to Melbourne City for a New Year's Eve fixture.