Soccer: Aucklanders cruise in routs

Auckland City's David Mulligan (centre) tries to weave a path through the Canterbury United defence as Cole Peverley looks to make a tackle. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Goal feasts marked the return of the ASB Premiership after the Christmas break as normal transmission resumed at the top of the table.

Auckland City, 3-0 home winners over Canterbury United in the match of the round, retained their three-point lead over Waitakere United, who scored the season-high seven goals - spearheaded by a Sean Lovemore hat-trick - as they demolished a hapless YoungHeart Manawatu 7-2 in Palmerston North.

The two Auckland clubs have eased clear of their nearest challengers with Team Wellington, the other big winner, leapfrogging Canterbury into third place on the back of their 6-2 win over Hawkes Bay in Napier.

Declan Edge's Waikato FC, frustrated by repeat rainouts of their home match with Hawkes Bay, made it two in a row with a 2-0 win over Otago under the roof in Dunedin.

Trailing the field through the early round, Waikato, fulfilling Edge's prediction his young team would be a factor as the season went on, now have Hawkes Bay and Manawatu below them on the table. They will need more of the same on Sunday if they are to make it three wins in a row on the road when they meet Auckland City.

City, without a couple of key players, underlined their depth with a solid win over Keith Braithwaite's Canterbury in Saturday's opener.

Daniel Koprivcic's 16th minute long-range strike gave the home side the lead. He then turned provider for Manel Exposito who doubled City's advantage on the hour. Substitute Emiliano Tade completed the scoring a couple of minutes before fulltime by which time both teams were a man short after Luis Corrales and United Cole Peverley were sent off.

Waitakere headed to Memorial Park down on manpower but wasted little time in taking a firm grip on the game as Allan Pearce and Roy Krishna had them 2-0 after 25 minutes.

Dangerman Seule Soromon got one back three minutes later before Lovemore grabbed his first to have United handily 3-1 ahead at the break.

Two minutes into the second half Lovemore had his second and by 70 minutes the defending champions were 7-1 ahead, with Pearce scoring his second from the spot for his sixth of the season and a share of the golden boot lead with Tade and Canterbury's George Slefendorfas.

Late goals to substitute Mohammed Awad and ever-reliable Jason Hicks earned Waikato the points on the testing trip to Dunedin.

Hawkes Bay ended their home game with Team Wellington one short after captain Bill Robertson was sent off late for a second yellow card.