(Ryan Withers is a BPL Citizen Journalist)

In front of a record breaking crowd at AAMI Park, the Heart of Melbourne dealt their crosstown rivals Victory a humbling 3-2 loss, seemingly changing the order of power in the country's sports capital.

A crowd of 26,579 energetic blue and red fans watched the Heart go from strength to strength in a win which places them firmly among the A-League's top flight, while the Victory now teeter on the edge of the top six, with wins still evading the boys in blue.

The match began with a penalty to the Victory but once Clint Bolton kept out Carlos Hernandez's shot it was destined to be Heart's night.

Archie Thompson was as dangerous as ever though and the classy goalscorer eventually opened Victory's account, lobbing a delicate ball over Bolton.

The goal was reward for his side's early pressure, with Heart finding it almost impossible to keep the ball out of their half. That all changed when another Thompson, of the Matthew kind, joined in the action with two goals in three minutes for the red and whites.

John Van't Schip's calm expression reflected the control his team had over the match, while Mehmet Durakovic struggled to comprehend his newfound situation.

Thompson's double changed the tempo of the contest and the Victory began playing like a side unconcerned about relinquishing the mantle of Melbourne's number one team.

Alex Terra stuck the boot in even further, after the break, with a contentious handball souring a cracking goal to the sharp shooter in the 63rd minute. However, the refereeing came into question soon after when Terra again was caught with his hand on the ball, sending Victory keeper Ante Covic into a rant, as the referee remained silent.

Hernandez snagged a late goal from a free kick in injury time to make the score respectable, but unfortunately for the Victory fans, the damage had already been done.

Harry Kewell was again active but failed to find the back of the net. His skillful feet were not enough to combat the fast running and powerful rebounds from Heart's captain Fred and his ever-present wingman Rutger Worm. The Dutchman, much like many in the Heart squad, has made immense strides in his game this season, stringing together not only consistent form, but contributing to all important wins. Heart now have six wins from their last seven outings.

For a weary and battered Victory the Christmas break can not come soon enough, with many changes expected to halt the dangerous slide Durakovic's side now finds themselves in. With only three wins to their name, and games away to Brisbane and the Central Coast to come, things may only get worse for the V's.

Heart, on the other hand, now look odds-on for a finals birth. Their next match will be in Sydney, but the confidence of the team is continuously growing, along with the Heart's burgeoning supporter base.

And suddenly, as if overnight, many are now coming to realise that a city, which once bled blue Victory, may now be beating to a red Heart.