Despite the setback,the Sky Blues awoke from their slumberous start. It took them until the half-hour to register their first shot on target but they finished the half strongly,ensuring the contest remained on an even keel.

Sydney coach Steve Corica demanded more from his side during the break and they showed signs of a response. Le Fondre came close with a glancing header from a corner five minutes after the restart before testing City goalkeeper Tom Glover from close range on the hour. Glover stood firm then before reacting quickly to deny Milos Ninkovic from point-blank range a minute later. The Serbian strolled into the box to hone-in on goal but couldn't beat Glover,whose right palm did just enough to keep Sydney scoreless.

For all Sydney's improvements,City remained a constant threat. Redmayne had to remain on his toes to block Noone from inside the box in the 75th minute before a more acrobatic save was required to stop Scott Galloway's shot from curling into the corner.

By the end,it was the goalkeepers responsible for keeping the contest scoreless by 90 minutes. Glover saving his best for the dying moments,blocking Trent Buhagiar's header with a superb reflex save. The City goalkeeper had been terrific in regulation time,swatting away everything Sydney threw at him. But after 100 minutes,Melbourne's last line of defence was finally breached.

Luke Brattan delivered a perfectly weighted ball to pick out the run of Grant,whose unorthodox finish caught Glover off guard. Using his chest to fire a first-time shot,Grant guided the ball into the corner of the net to break the deadlock,put Sydney into the lead and send the home crowd into raptures.