Muscat: We answered every challenge this season

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Melbourne Victory head coach Kevin Muscat praised his champion team for answering every challenge thrown at it this season.

Victory clinched a record fourth Hyundai A-League championship with a 1-0 win over the Newcastle Jets on Saturday.

A first-half goal from Kosta Barbarouses saw Victory to its success at a sold-out McDonald Jones Stadium.

Muscat was full of praise for the way his team responded when it was tested in 2017-18.

“It’s been an unbelievable challenge for us this season and we had to deal with a lot of things and a lot of challenges and one by one we stared them down,” he told Fox Sports.

“In the last two months, our football has improved and improved and tonight I don’t think it was really a game of football.

“There was a lot of talk about free-flowing football but the ball spent more time in the air. Fortunately for us, we were prepared for it.”

After Barbarouses’ early goal, Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas starred, winning the Joe Marston Medal.

The visitor controlled most of the second half, with Jets forward Roy O’Donovan sent off late for a crude challenge.

Muscat, who won his second championship as Victory head coach, hailed his team for the way it battled to its win.

“The record is not something that motivates me. What motivates me is getting in each week and every day and trying to improve people,” he said.

“We’ve had an almighty challenge this season and it got to the point where it seemed like the whole country was wanting us to fall over at the final hurdle, but the boys dug deep.

“In the end, it was just an almighty battle. I think the ball spent more time in the air than it did on the ground, but like I always said we’ll turn up and prepare and play any way possible.”