Auckland FC have made it five wins from their first five A-League matches after overcoming Newcastle Jets 2-0 in the rain at Mt Smart.
Neyder Moreno was the hero for the home team, the Colombian recruit came off the bench and broke the deadlock with seven minutes of regular time remaining and Francis De Vries sealed the points six minutes later.
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With the victory, newcomers and league leaders Auckland became just the second team in Australian national men’s league history to win their first five games after Sydney’s Western Suburbs in 1977.
With both sides struggling in the conditions to get past the respective keepers in the first half it was Dan Hall who challenged Ryan Scott before the Newcastle keeper pushed the shot just over the bar with 25 minutes remaining.
The Jets then caused some concerns 17 minutes from the end when Clayton Taylor forced a big save from Paulsen before a follow-up effort flashed just wide of the post.
Moreno broke Newcastle’s resistance in the 84th minute with his first goal for the club after his volley found the back of the net.
Justin Vidic thought he had equalised three minutes later but the Jets forward’s goal was ruled out offside before De Vries made sure of the points for Auckland in the 89th minute.
Steve Corica's Auckland side are top of the standings, five points clear of Wellington, who have the bye this weekend while Newcastle are 11th and six points outside the top six.