“It was a very strange situation, it was key for us to score first today because psychologically the players look up at the scoreboard and it is 2-0 and then the players are forcing things, are anxious.

“Overall we are pleased. You are playing the benchmark team and it’s a draw on the night, but we are carrying the result, the starting point from December.”

Vidosic said his club was happy to come away with the points.

“Absolutely the most bizarre [match I’ve been involved in],” Vidosic said.

“We knew it was going to happen but after the game against Newcastle Jets then we started thinking hard about what we were doing. We don’t really need this.

“I’m glad it’s over, let’s put this [game] to bed.”

The atmosphere was far more muted than previous derbies and while the active groups chanted as usual, the bulk of the crowd watched on, perhaps absorbing the unusual occasion of a game restarting rather than starting.

On December 17, the feeling at the ground was one of fury, the sounds of fireworks being fired off and the glow of flares - this night was the opposite, the closest it came was early in the second half when someone dropped some crockery in the corporate suites and it smashed against the cement ground.

The match resumed at 1-0 and in the 21st minute amid a chorus of boos from the Victory’s far diminished active supporters who are now stationed at the back of the stand, their target was City keeper Tom Glover who had a bucket of sand thrown at his head at the start of the pitch invasion.

O’Neill was the lone goal-scorer in December and he was one of the players who remained on the field for Wednesday night’s resumption although he picked up a yellow card early on for a late tackle.

Neither side created many chances in the 26 or so minutes played until half-time although Glover gave the Victory fans more to boo about when he made a brilliant reflex save low to his right to stop a Bruno Fornaroli shot that was destined for the bottom corner.

City took their 1-0 lead into half-time but on 58 minutes they doubled their advantage when Victory made a loose pass in defence which was intercepted with O’Neill bolting into the box and cracking home the goal.

O’Neill scored in the 11th minute of December 17 and made his brace, 110 days apart, when he powered home a shot on 57 minutes - the now Socceroos midfielder remains in rich form for City.

Fornaroli almost scored a stunning volley midway through the second half but goal-bound volley was blocked by City’s defence.

Victory’s effort was there but they struggled to create the chances they needed to get back into the match but on 89 minutes Bruce Kamau broke down the right flank and beat the off-side trap before crossing low to Nishan Velupillay who scored from close range.

Lleyton Brooks could have drawn the match in injury time but his shot went just over the crossbar.

Glover had the last say, catching a Victory corner and sending the ball into the night sky.

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