Warren Joyce, Melbourne City's new English boss, grins back ruefully when the proposition is put to him.

He knows more than most that titles and trophies are won by hard graft and grind over the course of months, not just a couple of games in an eight-day period, and he is far too steeped in the ways of the game to get ahead of himself over what has been one of City's best starts to a season.

"It's early in the season, a good performance tonight and three points, but nothing more than those three points," he shoots back, having just watched his team see off Victory's desperate attempts to find an equaliser.

"I thought we had the better chances of the game and with more clinical finishing and better-quality passes in the final third around the box we had good opportunities. Victory's goal was a poor goal from us; it was from our corner, a breakaway goal and goals like that are avoidable ??? apart from that I don't think they had too many shots on goal."

Joyce has been characterised by many in his early days in this country as a man who will instil steel and grit into a club with a reputation for free-wheeling attack and a tendency to fold in the biggest games.

But he made clear that he is expecting his team to do a lot more than grind out results.

"You want everything in football; you want to dominate possession, pass the ball, pass it sweet, and be clever around the box and be decisive ??? you also want to know when to attack and counter and drive through with penetration and defend in a variety of ways ??? not just be one dimensional."

City are still a work in progress, but the performance on Saturday night, especially in the opening 15 minutes, was far better than the halting effort that brought three points against Brisbane a week earlier.

On this occasion they matched Victory's physicality and determination and played with more fluency, although the hosts did begin to get on top midway through the opening period.

That City held firm and took the lead approaching the interval was something that particularly pleased their Lancastrian coach.

His selection - small midfielders Luke Brattan and Neil Kilkenny were not on the team sheet while he fielded a side with four men who have played in the middle of the back four (Iacopo La Rocca, Michael Jakobsen, Osama Malik and Bart Schenkenveld) - indicated that he did not want City to be pushed around and intimidated by Victory.

"The biggest thing for me was to come here tonight and not be bullied. You're coming to [play] a team here which made the grand final last year. We're still a new side finding our feet, finding a way to dominate possession. The main objective was to come here tonight and to give the fans a performance they can be proud of and certainly not get bullied."

They certainly held firm - and retained their discipline. While Victory picked up five yellow cards (to Carl Valeri, Leigh Broxham, Rhys Williams, James Donachie and Mathias Sanchez) City got only two (Nick Fitzgerald and Manny Muscat).

In fact Williams, the former Socceroo defender, was lucky not to be red carded after a scything challenge on Malik that forced the defender, 10 minutes later, to leave the pitch before half-time.

The fates gave City a backhanded reward however, as it was the man who replaced Malik, Polish substitute Marcin Budzinski, who lashed home from an acute angle to put City in front just before the break.

Referee Peter Green thought long and hard about sending off Williams, eventually seeking the advice of the video assistant referee - something that, Joyce admits, was all new to him.

"The referee has got there and they've got to make decisions on what they see, really," he said.

"These things, stopping and waiting for somebody to make a decision, I find that strange, really.

"If you're 10 yards from the incident, your job is to make decisions. If you're there on the pitch, you can see a close call and if there was any intent, and what kind of tackle it was."

Joyce was particularly effusive about the role played in the win by 22-year-old Bruce Kamau, whose long run and deflected shot gave City all three points.

"I saw him playing for Adelaide and I thought he was an outstanding player. He's certainly one really that could play in the English Championship easily [but] there are aspects you want him to improve in his game and goalscoring is one of them."