Arthur Diles refused to be downtrodden after Melbourne Victory’s Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s Round 4 defeat.
Victory, having beaten Perth Glory on the road last Friday, were unable to make it back-to-back wins as they were edged in the first Melbourne Derby of the 2025/26 season.
Instead, Melbourne City took the three points at AAMI Park, scoring early through Max Caputo, and then after 55 minutes when Peter Antoniou netted the visitors’ second.
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Diles delivered a balanced assessment of the derby clash.
“At this point, it’s frustrating because the results not the one we wanted, that’s for sure. But I think on review, we’ll find there was a lot of positives in that.
“In terms of some of the football we played at times, it was probably the best so far this season. There was a lot of periods of great football.
“Right now, it’s frustration and disappointment, because the result is the result.”
Despite falling behind after just 83 seconds on Saturday night, Victory went on to have vast periods of domination in persistent Melbourne rain, boasting 65% possession and racking up an array of genuine chances.
But even when these were directed on target, they were foiled by a series of fine stops from opposition goalkeeper Patrick Beach, the most impressive being a flying save to deny Matthew Grimaldi when he unleashed from distance.
Diles was not, however, looking for a hard luck story when reflecting on the match, and pinpointed where the game was won and lost.
“20 odd shots on goal, 13 from inside the box, but only five on target, I think that tells the story. We’ve got to be more efficient than that, and better – that’s the reality.
“Between boxes, I thought we were the dominant team, on top for many periods of that match. But in the end, games are won and lost in the 18-yard boxes, and that’s where we lost the match tonight.”
Watch Diles’ full press conference below.
