Melbourne Heart boss John van't Schip and his Sydney counterpart Frank Farina were in agreement about one thing after 10-man Heart had come from behind to down Sydney 2-1 in a thrilling contest at AAMI Park on Friday night: that Heart's Dutch international midfielder Orlando Engelaar should not have been sent off by referee Jarred Gillett.

Van't Schip has now presided over Heart for five matches, and the club has taken eight points - double the tally it amassed in the first 12 games of the season under previous coach John Aloisi, who was sacked just after Christmas.

Melbourne Heart coach John van 't Schip. Credit:Getty Images

While finals are a long way off - the team would probably need to win eight of its last 10 games to stand a chance - the coach is delighted at the improvement in his team.

Van't Schip was full of praise for striker David Williams, whose wonderful individual goal in the dying minutes of the game won all three points for Heart, and also Argentine utility Jonatan Germano, whose aggression and energy makes such a difference to his team's midfield.