Englishman Oluwayemi came out of his area in the 24th minute to intercept a long clearance but misjudged the flight of the ball and headed it backwards into his own net.

Auckland scored three more goals from just three shots on target to lead 4-0 at halftime.

Italiano replaced Oluwayemi at the break, but Auckland cruised to victory, extending Wellington’s winless streak to five games.

Italiano, who had been in charge since April 2023, announced his resignation at the post-match press conference, taking full responsibility for the defeat and Wellington’s poor performances this season, with the club 10th in the 12-team A-League.

“The worst thing to do is to lose to these guys,” said Italiano. “I’m not a big fan of Auckland. I don’t like the way they do things, but you can’t lose to rivals like that. It’s unacceptable anywhere in the world.

“Once we conceded I think we got quite rattled, very easily. That’s something that’s symbolic of the team this season … irrespective of if Joshy made some errors in goal, it’s me that picked him,” he said.