A cruel deflection sunk Sydney FC to its second straight loss in the A-League as the Central Coast Mariners celebrated a 3-2 win at a wet Aussie Stadium.

Mariners skipper Noel Spencer broke Sydney hearts in the second minute of stoppage time when his free kick from the edge of the penalty box struck a charging Alvin Ceccoli and lobbed over the wall and into the goal to break the deadlock.

The goal was a devastating blow for the home side who had equalised in the 72nd minute through Dwight Yorke - his third goal in three games this season - as Sydney looked the team most likely to score in the final 20 minutes.

Yorke had earlier fed Andrew Packer Sydney's first goal in the 13th minute, before a penalty spot kick from Stewart Petrie and a goal from Andre Gumprecht gave the Mariners a 2-1 halftime lead.

It was the Mariners' first win over their near neighbours in three attempts after losing to Sydney in both the Club World Championship final in May and during the pre-season cup last month.

It was also Sydney's second loss on the trot, and in four games the A-League favourites have managed only one win against strugglers New Zealand Knights, and a less than impressive draw with Melbourne Victory.

The Mariners rebounded strongly from its shock loss to the Knights last week for its second win of the season.

While constant drizzle ensured the pitch remained slippery throughout the game, it didn't dampen the feeling between both teams as tempers flared on several occasions.

Yorke showed superb strength and finesse to set up Sydney's first goal, leaving Mariner defender Michael Beauchamp on his backside after some clever footwork, and then out-muscled Dean Heffernan for the ball near the goalline.

With Packer closely marked by Alex Wilkinson at the far post, Yorke squared the ball perfectly for his teammate, who gleefully knocked home his first goal of the season.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP