“Very happy with the performance, with the result,” said Polking. “It was a great effort.

“We were very lucky in the first 10 minutes when we conceded two big chances but sometimes that's what you need, a little bit of luck.

“After that we started to dominate and in the end we deserved the win. We are top of the table but there's still a long way to go and we have to concentrate on our game.”

After a subdued start, Ha Noi stamped their authority to force an own goal off Gabriel Cividini before Alves Rogerio scored midway through the first half before Phan Van Duc sealed the win with a late strike.

It could all have turned out very differently had James Temelkovski and Igor Sartori put away their chances for the visitors, with head coach Lee Chi Kin lamenting the missed opportunities

“This result is not what we wanted but we need to accept football is like this - when the opponent team performs better than you,” said Lee.

“We had chances to score first and when you can't put away the chances, the result can go against you.”

Ha Noi will next face Macarthur on October 23 with Tai Po hosting Beijing.