Both teams were locked on points before the encounter and finished the night in the same situation as Adelaide were unable to unlock the Wellington Phoenix defence.
The main battle happened in the middle of the park as Spanish compatriots Mandi Sosa and Isaias Sanchez vied for the share of play as both teams looked to break on the counter.
Wellington Phoenix forced Adelaide back to Paul Izzo several times in the opening 20 minutes as the front three looked to pounce on every opportunity.
Mandi came closest for the Wellington Phoenix as he turned into space outside the Adelaide box and released a low drive right into the hands of Izzo.
Moments before the break, Adelaide thought they had made the breakthrough as Vinnie Lia rose highest to head towards goal but Filip Kurto made the all-important save to deny them the lead.
Wellington Phoenix had a chance to open the scoring after the break. A Sarpreet Singh through ball found David Williams in behind, only for Izzo to stand up tall and deny the in-form attacker.
Controversy hit the game halfway through the second half as Mandi was involved in an incident with Isaias. Referee Stephen Lucas handing out yellows for both players before consulting with the VAR system and deciding Mandi had earnt a straight red.
Down to 10-men, Mark Rudan’s men defended resolutely. Adelaide tried to attack at every opportunity, but Wellington Phoenix held their shape and remained defiant in the pursuit for a well-earned point.
Minutes before the end of the second half, Adelaide’s Ryan Kitto delivered a dangerous ball into the Wellington Phoenix area but Thomas Doyle made the all-important block to deny them a certain win.
Kurto made another world-class save moments before the final whistle to cement a solid performance from the Polish shot-stopper.
Phoenix captain, Andrew Durante and Steven Taylor were once again fundamental in the defensive organisation of their side as they lengthened the unbeaten run to six Hyundai A-League games with a mouth-watering tie against Western Sydney Wanderers coming up on Tuesday.
Full Highlights here.
FULL TIME | A determined defensive display from your #Nix earn a point at Coopers Stadium.
Grab your 3 Game Summer of Football Package here ? https://t.co/5shY4FRw9y#StandUpWithYourNix #CreateHistory #ADLvWEL pic.twitter.com/GaTkDxMN9L
— Wellington Phoenix (@WgtnPhoenixFC) January 5, 2019
Starting XI
1.Filip KURTO, 4. Mandi SOSA, 11. David WILLIAMS, 13. Liberate CACACE, 14. Alex RUFER, 16. Louis FENTON, 18. Sarpreet SINGH, 19. Tom DOYLE, 21. Roy KRISHNA, 22. Andrew DURANTE, 27. Steven TAYLOR
Wellington Phoenix Substitutes
70’ OFF 11. David WILLIAMS ON 15. Michal KOPCZYNSKI
88’ OFF 21. Roy KRISHNA ON 23. Max BURGESS
90’ OFF 18. Sarpreet SINGH ON 5. Ryan LOWRY
Adelaide United Substitutes
63’ OFF 10. Ken ILSO ON 17. Nikola MILEUSNIC
84’ OFF 6. Vince LIA ON 14. George BLACKWOOD
Next Match Details
Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Wellington Phoenix, 9:50pm NZT, ANZ Stadium, Sydney
