Barbarouses in A-League golden boot race

Kevin Muscat's troops were in the title race until a month ago, when a four-match winless run put paid to their Premiers' Plate hopes.

Victory looked set for a third-placed finish but their 2-1 win over the Roar, combined with Sydney's surprise loss to Melbourne City on Sunday, means the race with the Sky Blues for second place is back on.

"Leading into finals we need to chase down Sydney now because we're behind them. I don't really like chasing the pack in front of us, but that's the situation now," forward Barbarouses said.

"It was a big step towards that."

Barbarouses was Victory's stand-out player on Saturday, netting a brace that has placed him in contention for an unlikely golden boot.

The Kiwi's previous best A-League haul was 12 goals; he already has 13 this term, with five matches and finals to come.

Each of the league's top four teams has a golden boot contender - Wellington's Roy Krishna leads the way with 15, ahead of Sydney FC's Adam le Fondre on 14 and Barbarouses and Perth's Andy Keogh on 13.

Muscat said Barbarouses could've bagged four or five against the struggling Roar, and the 29-year-old agreed with his boss.

"But it was enough to get the job done," Barbarouses said.

"(The golden boot is) not something I targeted at the beginning of the year. I set a target to get into double digits and now I'm working my way from that.

"It's a bit of a cliche but I'd rather get into the grand final and win."

The New Zealander chose not to celebrate his goals at Marvel Stadium, bending and kissing the ground in tribute to victims of the Christchurch terror attacks.

"I was pretty emotional when I heard the news. It's pure evil what happened and I'm really devastated," Barbarouses said.

A-LEAGUE GOLDEN BOOT RACE

15 - Roy Krishna (Wellington Phoenix)

14 - Adam le Fondre (Sydney FC)

13 - Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory), Andy Keogh (Perth Glory)

Australian Associated Press