Adelaide hit their straps as Phoenix become road kill

But another calamitous error by the Phoenix defence opened the door for substitute striker Luka Jovanovic to seal all three points in the 75th minute, the youngster pouncing when keeper Josh Oluwayemi dropped the ball after colliding with teammate Scott Wootton when he moved to claim a Dylan Perias cross. 

LUKA JOVANOVIC DOES IT AGAIN! 😲🔴— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) The 19-year-old scores another goal off the bench to put @AdelaideUnited ahead at Sky Stadium. This kid is in red-hot form 🔥📺 Watch #WELvADL live NOW on Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/noJ5BgBmrJJanuary 11, 2025

The Phoenix's blushes spared Carl Veart's side some of their own after they were unable to capitalise on a first half in which they were dominant but failed to add to their lead.

The result ensured Adelaide will carry momentum into their Original Rivalry showdown with Melbourne Victory next Saturday. 

"We came here, we played really well," Adelaide's Zach Clough told Sky Sport NZ.  

"We ground out another hard-fought away win, which we've done six times now."

Corban Piper's 50th-minute goal for Wellington set up a nail-biting finish against Adelaide. (Masanori Udagawa/AAP PHOTOS)

Without skipper Alex Rufer, Marco Rojas and Tim Payne through injury, the result means the Phoenix have lost five of their past six games and, mired in 10th position on the table, are at risk of losing touch with the top six as the halfway point of the season nears. 

There will be little time to prepare for their next challenge, with Sydney FC coming to town on Wednesday evening - the first trip to Wellington by former coach Ufuk Taley since he took the job with the Sky Blues.