City went to the Middle East to train and play while the Asian Cup was on, and it was Mooy — a player many judged to have been unlucky not to be included in Ange Postecoglou's victorious squad — who proved the difference for his team in this game, as he has so often this season.

The win consolidates City in sixth place on the table, three points adrift of Sydney, and consigns the Wanderers to their position at the bottom of the league.

Normally an early goal settles a team — particularly an away side —  down.

It gives them confidence, builds self-belief and allows them to settle into a match from a position of strength.

But for a Wanderers side still struggling to chalk up their first win of the season after 12 games, it seemed almost as though the opposite was the case.

The converse was true for Melbourne City, who have often struggled at home this season and found it hard to make possession count.

Credit must go to the Wanderers' new signing,  former Japanese international Yojiro Takahagi  for the quality of his free kick from wide on the left in the fifth minute

It had good curl, weight and shape on it as it flew across looking for the head or touch of a teammate but evaded everyone – including  Andrew Redmayne, the City goalkeeper.

Redmayne was restored to the City goal for this match following the suspension of Tando Velaphi, but he either reacted too slowly or saw the ball too late as it  skidded off the turf and into the back of the net.

For City, a team which often makes things harder than they should be for itself,  it all looked so familiar.

Wanderers have been a jittery oufit this season and a shadow of the side that won the Asian Champions League and reached the last two grand finals. Surely this early goal, celebrated Sumo-style by Takahagi and his Japanese teammate Yusuke Tanaka, would calm those nerves and give  them the platform they needed.

Instead the opposite happened.

City was galvanised and began to dominate proceedings while the Wanderers created little. Popovic's men constantly struggled with crosses and high balls from corners and free-kicks, and it was a header from the unlikely source of Jacob Melling that the hosts drew level after 24 minutes.

Robbie Koren slotted a neat pass through to Aaron Mooy, whose run caught the ballwatching Wanderers defenders off guard. The midfielder cut back a well weighted cross for Melling to power home a close range header – the first goal of his City career.

Wanderers keeper Ante Covic had to save well from a Koren shot a minute after Melling's goal,  and then denied the same player's header from a corner. Connor Chapman then headed just wide from a Damien Duff cross while Iain Ramsay skied his shot horribly from a low pass by the former Irish international as City seemed sure to score.

Koren almost gave them the lead they deserved in the 57th minute when he created space well and drilled a shot that beat Covic all ends up but Tanaka had dropped back to cover the goal-line and headed Koren's drive to safety.

Ramsay should have ensured all three points for City in the 67th minute when he found himself alone in front of an open goal after ac cross from substitute David Williams came to him, but somehow he put the ball wide when it seemed easier to score.

Luckily for him Mooy struck to spare his blushes with a beautifully  curled drive from 20 metres to put his side  in front with 18 minutes remaining.