Slow start. Missed chances. Poor defence. Organisation. Discipline. Execution.
Why one team loses and one team wins.
Sydney played well enough in patches and certain players provided welcome moments of flair ... but perhaps Graham Arnold was right: Mariners deserved their win.
The game started as it finished: a thrill from one end to the other. Patrick Zwaanswijk headed a corner kick over the crossbar for Mariners, Nick Carle almost slipped through the defence in front of the Mariners' goal and Mark Bridge missed a sitter.
Central Coast set about establishing control through slow-build possession while Sydney scrapped away on the back foot.
Pedj Bojic was good robbing Brett Emerton, who later made a good turn over the ball before switching back to Jamie Coyne and Coyne almost sent a perfect cross to Bridge.
Emerton delighted the crowd with a precision 15-metre back-heel but then accidentally caught the ball on his heel after Terry Antonis fed him beautifully down the right.
Nick Carle set up Karol Kisel then ran into his shot. Michael Beauchamp put effective pressure on Bernie Ibini.
By the 30th minute Sydney were getting more of the play. Bridge won a corner for which Beauchamp rose well.
Kisel played for a one-two into the Mariners' penalty area but was demonstrably upset at not getting the return pass.
Antonis appeared to live up to his prodigy billing, robbing Mariners in attack and initiating a Sydney counter move. Meanwhile Coyne was having another less than spectacular first half.
Then Antonis lost out to Joshua Rose, gifting an opportunity to Mariners with Liam Reddy needing to make a brave save to block Ibini.
And it was an Antonis-conceded free kick that led to the first goal for Central Coast. The kick by Michael McGlinchey was played square to John Hutchinson who stopped it for Zwaanswijk. With a better angle to goal Zwaanswijk blasted beyond the despairing dive of Reddy.
A guy sitting behind me reckoned the goal was against the run of play. Perhaps. But now Sydney had to come from behind. Again.
Carle played the ball back for Emerton, who had Terry McFlynn in support. But Emerton chose to go himself and lost the ball.
Sydney started the second half with Bruno Cazarine on. Good. Substituting for McFlynn. Bad.
The next 20 minutes was mostly rubbish from both sides.
Then Bojic forced Emerton off a ball to the left post, and another half chance and a couple of dubious calls against Sydney got the Cove in good voice.
Emerton and Antonis had some sweet touches and Cazarine, Carle and Emerton looked for a chink in the Central Coast defence.
Mariners didn't have to look hard to find a huge hole in Sydney's defence. Bojic was supplied to right of goal by Mustafa Amini. His return into the box found Michael McGlinchey ghosting in past a static Antonis. The shot was driven first time inside the right post and Sydney were two goals down.
The home team nearly clawed one back when Bridge was sent through on goal but Justin Pasfield got a touch before Bridge could round him. From Sydney's corner Carle had a soft shot through the crowded penalty area, still requiring Pasfield to dive low to save.
Carle managed to get Sydney on the scoresheet with a header following in on a rebound from Pasfield on a shot by Bridge.
The crowd came alive again but their optimism was short-lived. Matthew Simon was too strong for Beauchamp, holding him off as he crossed the box to the right of goal where he was left with time to cross into the goalmouth — where Troy Hearfield got in front of Shannon Cole.
Sydney still had a mountain to climb. But recent performances had some believing that anything was possible, even with less than ten minutes remaining. Cazarine was a believer, but slid the ball just outside the Mariners' right post.
Emerton and Carle made a good play down the left leading to a foul on Emerton on the edge of the penalty area. And it was Emerton's brilliance that kept hope alive with a magnificent strike over the wall and over Pasfield.
In four minutes of extra time Emerton won Sydney a corner, headed on target by Cazarine but slapped away by Pasfield.
Sydney couldn't maintain the pressure and Mariners wound down the time, ensuring they would travel back up the M3 with three well-earned points.