Grace Jale and Sabitra Bhandari have combined for four goals as Wellington monstered Sydney FC with a statement 7-0 A-League Women victory in New Zealand.
The Sky Blues also conceded two own goals in their worst ALW loss, with Bev Priestman's Phoenix needing less than three minutes to open the floodgates at Porirua Park.
Moving to seventh, Wellington (2-2-2) will hope Saturday's demolition job will galvanise their climb up the table.
"We have to kick on," Priestman told Sky Sports following the club's biggest ever win.
"I was really pleased more than anything, we kept the clean sheet as well.
"That's the standard that we have to set for this team.
"We've got to stay humble and hard-working."
Sydney FC drop to sixth (2-3-2) after suffering their biggest defeat since a 6-0 away loss to Melbourne City in 2015.
The Sky Blues will have to lick their wounds without captain Nat Tobin, after the veteran defender announced her pregnancy earlier in the week.
Manaia Elliott was the first to get on the scoresheet, before star striker Bhandari added to the buffer in the 13th minute.
Phoenix midfielder Brooke Nunn had set up Pia Vlok in the box, with Sydney goalkeeper Tiahna Robertson spilling the ball.
Elliott pounced on the crumbs to find the back of the net, before Nunn popped up again with a quality cross from the right wing to set up Bhandari's headed goal.
It was Bhandari's first of the season, with the Nepalese captain quickly earning cult figure status.
Wellington's ascendancy couldn't be stopped, with New Zealand international Jale reacting quickest in the box on 36 minutes after a corner kick.
Jale again made the most of a corner kick to complete her double in the 54th minute, before Bhandari pulled off the same feat in the 69th.
Just when Sydney FC thought an own goal - given away by Tori Tumeth in the 80th minute - was the final nail in the coffin, stand-in captain Sarah Hunter gifted the 'Nix their seventh.
Lucia Leon's shot at goal had deflected off Hunter and into the gloves of Robertson, but the keeper dropped the ball over the line.
In Saturday's late match, Central Coast and Canberra United fought out a 1-1 draw in a match affected by two lightning delays.
The first came midway through the first half, and lasted more than an hour.
Annalise Rasmussen put the Mariners ahead in the 67th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box that beat the goalkeeper at the near post.
In the 85th minute, play was put on hold again for more than an hour after lightning struck within 10km of the venue.
It proved to be a bad omen for the Mariners, with Canberra ending up scoring the equaliser in the 90th minute when Sasha Grove nailed her close-range shot.
