Ankle tap ... Ruben Zadkovich is tripped up by Ali Abbas Source: AAP
Newcastle picked up their first win for six weeks and extended Sydney FC's horror run to one win in eight matches with a nervy 2-1 win at Hunter Stadium.
Early goals from Craig Goodwin and Emile Heskey proved decisive, even though Yairo Yau gave the visitors a glimmer of hope after 32 minutes.
It was a far from dominant display from the home team who had not scored since knocking three past Melbourne Heart goalkeeper Clint Bolton on November 24.
The home side dominated the early exchanges and were rewarded with Goodwin's free kick and Heskey's tap in.
But Sydney eventually found their rhythm and pulled a goal back through the speedy Yau.
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Sydney pressed in the second half but couldn't find the decisive touch in front of goal.
When the two sides met in their much-hyped round-two encounter, the Jets produced a thrilling 3-2 win in an entertaining clash in which both marquee men Heskey and Sydney star Alessandro Del Piero scored.
But while Heskey was a force this time, Del Piero barely featured.
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There were seven fouls in the first 10 minutes in what was a heated clash.
Fabio conceded a foul for charging James Virgili just outside the penalty area and would come to regret it moments later when Goodwin scored from the ensuing free-kick.
Goodwin curled the ball into the net from an acute angle about four metres out to put the hosts up after 13 minutes and score the Jets' first goal since round eight.
The goal seemed to spark the Jets into life with Virgili making a defence-busting run down the right and forcing a save from Sydney gloveman Vedran Janjetovic.
Virgili worked his way into the box again, this time setting up Heskey who put the Jets two up with his sixth goal of the season, sending the 17,402 Newcastle faithful into raptures.
To keep the game alive, Sydney struck back minutes later with Panamanian international Yau forcing a save from goalkeeper Mark Birighitti.
But Birighitti, in his first match back from a five-week injury lay-off, couldn't contain the ball with Yau slotting the rebound into the back of the net.
Brilliante had Sky Blues' goalkeeper Janjetovic at full stretch just before half-time with a powerful long-range strike that just shaved the post.
Sydney returned from the break looking to equalise with Rhyan Grant threatening with a strike.
The Jets replied moments later when Ryan Griffiths was able to get on the end of a Goodwin cross with Janjetovic diving to save the header.
Del Piero played a superb ball to Yau in the dying minutes but the striker sent his shot just over the crossbar.
A furious Frank Farina warned his Sydney players to either shape up or ship out.
"When you have to rely on a 38-year-old player (Del Piero) who's just come back from a hamstring injury it's a bit of a worry,'' Farina said.
"We got what we deserved today and we didn't deserve to win.''
Despite an ill Brett Emerton getting subbed off after 30 minutes and missing injured pair Pascal Bosschaart and Jason Culina, Farina was making no excuses saying the side should have the depth to cope.
"There will be a lot of nervous players after that,'' he said.
"They won't like me when I get angry.
"I'm a fighter and I'll go down swinging in terms of the fight to make it off the bottom and I expect the players that will be with me will have that same attitude.
"If they don't, they won't play.''
Gary van Egmond by contrast was full of praise for the Jets, saying it was just the result they needed to get their season back on track.
"Tonight I thought we had two full-backs who had real intent getting past people, we had midfielders who really wanted to work, we had wide players who wanted to take people on, and strikers who wanted to win their duels and score,'' van Egmond said.
