Wellington Phoenix scored a very good goal against the run of play and defended magnificently thereafter to strengthen their hold on a finals berth while ensuring Sydney's run home will be very tense.
The first ten minutes were mostly Sydney's.
Great pressure and a tackle by Terry McFlynn got the ball to Joel Chianese, who played left to Bruno Cazarine, whose shot wasn't too far over the crossbar.
Daniel Sanchez was good shutting down Nick Carle on one occasion but Sydney were putting it together well and finding one-another down either line. A sequence of passes led to a cross from the left and a header by Cazarine, saved by Mark Paston but giving Sydney a corner.
Another good start but ... and there's always a but ... Tony Lochhead found space on the left and hit a perfect cross met by an equally perfect header by Paul Ifill. And Wellington were winning.
Sydney responded immediately, with Carle having a dig from outside the Wellington penalty area ... not far wide of the left post.
Brett Emerton hit a good ball to Scott Jamieson on the left with Jamieson's cross eventually falling for Cazarine ... without Cazarine realising until too late the ball was at his feet.
Rhyan Grant was good on the right getting the ball to Hiro Moriyasu but Moriyasu's cross was too strong.
Ifill beat Moriyasu and his shot was blocked. Ben Sigmund made a strong tackle to halt a break by Chianese.
Sydney were still trying to play attractive football. Carle was on target finding Chianese in the Wellington box and Cazarine went down with no hope of winning a penalty.
Sigmund fouled attempting to get onto a Wellington corner and Chianese was yellow carded for falling in the Wellington penalty area. Chianese protested and replays seemed to indicate Paston had connected with him but the decision had been made. The crowd was not amused.
McFlynn and Carle combined well to get the ball out of Sydney's half and Cazarine hit a long ball for Emerton to chase ... It might have worked better if Chianese was the target. McFlynn hit a long shot just wide.
Emmanuel Muscat was strong bouncing away Jamieson and Sanchez robbed McFlynn in the Sydney penalty area, turned and shot wide of the right post.
Carle played Chianese into the Wellington box but this time Chianese was offside.
In the 34th minute a lovely string of passes and a bit of luck got Carle on goal in the left of the Wellington penalty area but Carle shot into the side netting.
"How could he miss that?" came the responses around me. "What a miss!"
Sydney's passing started going awry.
Another good tackle by Muscat stopped Emerton running the ball to half way. But soon Emerton was impressive evading Leo Bertos and Vince Lia.
Moriyasu finally got the better of Muscat and hit a cross long to the right. Grant won a free kick struck too long by Jamieson, who wasn't having the best of days with the dead ball.
Sigmund did well stopping Carle on the left edge of the Wellington penalty area.
"We've had all the ball and all the territory and yet ..."
In the 42nd minute Emerton hit a fine cross to Cazarine in front of goal. Cazarine's header wasn't bad but Paston made a better save. Cazarine, who had fallen to the ground, attempted to put away the rebound but Paston again got in the way.
Jamieson crossed from the left and Cazarine headed over.
Sigmund made an important tackle to stop Moriyasu on the left edge of the box and McFlynn squeezed a ball through to Chianese but Chianese was not awake to it.
Cazarine played back to Grant who lofted a shot high.
"What else would you expect from a fullback?"
Early in the second half Emerton played to Jamieson on the left, the cross to the far post grazing the head of Chianese. Cazarine down the left crossed but no-one was home for Sydney. The ball eventually rested between Emerton and Moriyasu but there was no communication and no shot.
Jamieson found Moriyasu down the left but Moriyasu's cross was poor.
A ball fell nicely for Ifill in the left of the Sydney penalty area but from an angle Ifill couldn't find goal. He probably should have.
Tim Brown shot high from 35 metres, ending a good spell for Wellington.
Pascal Bosschaart hit a decent pass to Jamieson on the left and Jamieson found some nice touch to deliver to Chianese. Sydney won a corner off Sigmund and Paston punched clear.
Jamieson was fouled and Emerton's free kick from outside the left of Wellington's box swung past the top right corner of goal.
Ivan Necevski came off his line to collect at the feet of Ifill.
A beautiful, beautiful ball from Bosschaart found Jamieson on the left; Jamieson neatly touched on for Chianese in front of goal but a Wellington defender muscled the ball away. Bosschaart was distraught.
A shot from Emerton was saved by Paston at the left post, Paston punched the corner away and a shot from Chianese was deflected for another corner from the right. A long throw from Bosschaart was followed by more failed shots and two more corners. Chianese shot again and finally Wellington had a goal kick.
Down the other end Wellington nearly got lucky but Sydney scrapped the ball away.
It took a wonderful, one-handed reflex save by Necevski to stop a glanced shot in front of goal after Sigmund made a great intercept and found Ifill, who crossed from the right.
Cazarine tried to score with a bicycle kick but stole a better chance from Emerton behind him.
Moriyasu wasn't doing too badly but Sydney were well served by his replacement Terry Antonis. But even Antonis and more Sydney possession couldn't find a way through Wellington's solid defences. Sigmund robbed Emerton as Sydney played one-twos into the visitors' penalty area.
Just as I was thinking McFlynn was having pretty decent game he sprayed a pass out over the sideline. Then Bosschaart, whose passing I'd been admiring, gave the ball to Bertos.
Nick Ward and Sigmund combined to stop Carle.
In the 80th minute Antonis, with some lovely control, turned and shot just over the top right corner of goal. Sydney were still seeing a lot of ball but didn't really look like scoring.
Meanwhile, Ifill, often quiet for spells, often alone at the front, caused trouble whenever the ball came to his feet. Jamieson had to stop him on the goal line to the right of goal.
Grant chased a ball to goal but Paston got to it first. Antonis was good in the right of the box but his pass inside to Carle was not ideal. Sigmund stopped Grant.
Jamieson took a free kick 25 metres from goal. It fell easy for Paston.
Grant made a great tackle and sent Sydney on the attack again and Mitchell Mallia, on for Chianese, chested the ball down for Antonis. Antonis' pass through for Cazarine was not good enough.
Brown tackled Carle, an Antonis shot was blocked, and Grant crossed. Mallia crossed, Michael Beauchamp headed and Paston saved. A Carle shot was blocked by Sigmund and Beauchamp missed a sitter.
One might wonder why Sydney so often push Beauchamp up in hope of scoring a desperate, extra-time goal when he, until very recently, had never scored an A-League goal.
Sydney now needs to win, win, win. But they won't do much winning unless someone starts to score, score, score.