A couple of critical decisions went against the Jets, who have played one game more than Victory.
Replays suggested the corner which led to Ryan s equaliser shouldn t have been given, with the last touch appearing to come off a Victory player.
Four minutes later, Valentino Yuel had a headed goal overturned after a VAR review revealed Stamatelopoulos was just offside.
Victory threatened early with the excellent Ben Folami prominent.
He had a fierce fifth-minute shot pushed away by Jets goalkeeper Lewis Italiano and was wide with another attempt a few seconds later.
Newcastle then created some chances with Yuel blazing over from close range and Ramy Najjarine shooting just wide, before Stamatelopoulos netted.
Has Victory s dreadful season doomed the A-League to dire metrics? A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size
Tonight’s clash between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne City in Wollongong could be one of the games of the season, but is the A-League now only preaching to the converted?
How will City bounce back from that 2-1 defeat to Western United last Thursday?
Paddy Kisnorbo’s side went into that game at AAMI Park on the back of a six-game winning streak but despite Craig Noone opening the scoring and City amassing 27 shots on goal, they still tasted defeat.
Football: Wellington Phoenix produce best performance of A-League season to thump Melbourne Victory nzherald.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzherald.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.