A major triumph off the field was of little comfort for Sydney FC as they suffered a 2-1 defeat by Melbourne Victory in front of their biggest crowd outside of a derby or finals match in years.

There was standing room only, and not much of that either, as 19,000 crammed into Jubilee Oval for the Big Blue on Sunday afternoon. But the bumper crowd weren’t rewarded with the performance or result they wanted, undone by the champions lead by their star marquee duo.

Match-winner: Victory's marquee man Keisuke Honda scored the winner from the spot. Credit:AAP

The match’s drawcards spoiled the party for the home crowd as Japan’s Keisuke Honda and Sweden’s Ola Toivonen scored to seal the Victory’s first regular-season win in Sydney in three years. In his first A-League start, Toivonen opened the account for the Victory before Honda clinched the win in ice-cold fashion, slotting a second-half penalty to inflict the first A-League defeat upon Sydney this season.

"I thought it was an outstanding performance away from home," Melbourne coach Kevin Muscat said. "We always point to stats to prove or disprove an argument. All in all, a deserved three points, regardless of the stats."