Bobo nets hat trick as Sydney FC beat Wellington Phoenix

Brazilian striker Bobo slammed home a hat trick for a clinical Sydney FC to dispatch bottom-of-the-table Wellington 4-1 in Saturday's A-League clash.

The win, their sixth in a row since losing 2-0 in early November to Central Coast, came against a Phoenix side under pressure after losing assistant coach Rado Vidosic and striker son Dario earlier in the week.

The defending champions were brutally quick to punish any errors by the home side, scoring twice inside the first half-hour.

While Sydney coach Graham Arnold was happy with the result, he said the win wasn't entirely without its low points.

"I thought we were a bit sloppy at times, giving away the goal that we did just before halftime," he said.

Adrian Mierzejewski's influence was obvious: his raking long ball found Michael Zullo in space down the left, and led to Bobo's first goal after 17 minutes.

Mierzejewski doubled the Sky Blues' lead after 15 minutes, Bobo turning provider with a centred cross which the Polish midfielder duly converted with a clinical right-foot finish.

Wellington's only bright spot came three minutes from half-time, when Serbian striker Andrija Kaludjerovic nodded home a looping header over Sydney keeper Andrew Redmayne for his eighth goal of the season.

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Wellington started the second half brightly but Sydney's defence held strong, and normal transmission resumed in the 58th minute when Mierzejewski's cross left Bobo with the simplest of finishes from close range.

Bobo completed his hat trick in the 86th minute, heading home a David Carney cross from the back post to complete a masterful performance.

Arnold paid tribute not only to Bobo, but also to Mierzejewski and his combination with returning midfielder Milos Ninkovic, who made his first start since injuring his calf early last month.

"I can't wait for those two to spend some more time on the pitch together, because they've only played in spasms together," Arnold said.

"Ninkovic is a top player, and Adrian - he's not happy in the dressing room now because we gave the ball away too much when we were up 4-1.

"That's the type of winning mentality we have at the club."

Phoenix coach Darije Kalezic said it had been a difficult week, and challenging to prepare his team to play the best in the A-League.

"It was obvious how we prepared for the game this week -- all during the week was about something else than about football," he said.

"Sydney FC tonight were really, really effective. We lost many balls in the beginning and they punished us.

"They scored the goals from nothing -- not from creating a lot of chances. They scored the goals from four shots, four goals, and that is the quality of the opponent."