Essendon beat Sydney by one point on Saturday night in the best game so far this AFL season.

Swans co-captain Adam Goodes, who was best afield, missed a 50m shot at goal after the final siren and the Bombers won 15.10 (100) to 14.15 (99).

The win puts Essendon back into the top eight at Fremantle's expense and level on points with Sydney.

The Swans have only themselves to blame - they should have buried Essendon, but kicked 2.9 for the final term.

They led by two goals before the Bombers kicked the last two of the match to take the lead.

Goodes, the two-time Brownlow Medallist, had one of the best games of his career with 28 disposals and three goals.

He beat two Essendon opponents to take his mark just before the final siren and his shot at goal did not miss by much.

But he also missed two easy shots at goal and his third-term blunder gifted Essendon a goal as well.

Goodes was the villain of the Essendon fans after he collected Angus Monfries with a hip and shoulder in the second term.

Captain Jobe Watson was best for Essendon and Kyle Reimers kicked four goals.

The lead changed six times in an epic duel.

The third term was full of highlights, starting with a brilliant running goal from Ben McGlynn.

The Swans midfielder somehow kept the ball in play as he ran along the boundary line, with Dyson Heppell in hot pursuit, and he threaded through the goal from 15 metres out on an acute angle.

Last year's Rising Star winner Dan Hannebery then showed he has courage to match his boundless talent.

Hannebery ran back with the flight of the ball and cannoned into Michael Hurley as they went for the mark.

The horrific impact left the two players groggy, but Hannebery was back on the ground after a short rest.

After Essendon hit the front by a point for the game's fifth lead change late in the third term, Swans defender Rhyce Shaw crossed the line as he kicked out to resume play.

That infringement meant a ball up in front of Essendon's goal and Goodes smashed the ball through for a rushed behind.

But under the rules, Goodes is not allowed to knock the ball through on the full and Leroy Jetta goaled from the resulting free kick.

Reimers goaled on the run two minutes later to give Essendon a 13-point lead, their biggest of the match.

Goodes soccered through a badly-needed goal with seconds left in the third quarter to make the difference seven points at the last change.

Late in the first half, the Swans had a 17-point break but the Bombers hit back.

They kicked two goals to end the term and another two at the start of the third to take the lead.

The Swans made a great start, kicking the first three goals of the game and led by 13 points at quarter time.

Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh was a late withdrawal because of his newborn baby girl's ill health, prompting him to stay in Sydney.

Essendon coach James Hird thought the Bombers would lose when Goodes marked.

"We were (12) points down with four minutes to go, so kicking those couple of goals was obviously handy," Hird said.

"But then when Goodes took the mark I pretty much thought we were gone.

"From my angle it looked like it was in and then out.

"It's been a really interesting year for us we've had some good wins, some poor losses and a couple of games like that.

"So you'd have to say the Essendon supporters have got their money's worth so far this year." Essendon now play the Western Bulldogs, West Coast away and Port Adelaide at home before a round-24 bye.

The Swans have Richmond at the MCG, St Kilda at ANZ Stadium, Geelong at Skilled Stadium and Brisbane at the SCG.

Sydney coach John Longmire was left ruing their poor goalkicking, a problem that has dogged the Swans frequently this season.

"It's certainly one (where) we had a chance to win, we were (12) points up with three and a half minutes to go," he said.

"We shouldn't have really lost from that point.

"We kicked 2.9 in the last quarter, we should have been a bit further in front, no doubt.

"But even then ... just a couple of basic errors that we should be better at, they were able to score two quick goals." Longmire praised Goodes for his superb game, but admitted he was nervous when the Swans star took the last shot at goal.

"I was probably hopeful - I just thought he had an enormous game, Goodesy, he worked really hard and it was a bit unfair on him to miss that last one," Longmire said.

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