They say when life hands you lemons, you get pumped 3-0.

Well Sydney FC were well and truly drinking lemonade when they hosted an underrated Brisbane Roar (far from) home at Central Coast Stadium.

In smoking hot conditions the game felt like Roar's right from kick-off as they applied pressure forcing midfield turnovers and flashing crosses into the Sydney FC 18 yard.

Sydney appeared fatigued and reluctant to challenge for 50-50 balls. Allowing Roar midfielders to play their own game, frequently switch and set the pace.

Jasmyne Spencer fought hard as usual while Princess Ibini also proved very fruitful as the youngster tore it up, using her physicality expertly against much more experienced players.

However it was the story of Brisbane Roar this round.

Emily Geilnik was an unstoppable force working her way up and down the wing, playing in Tameka Butt and working with Gabe Marzano at will.

After a few tries they got it right and opened scoring before the 20th minute with a piece of textbook football.

But it was red hot Katrina Gorry who bossed everyone. The midfield was Gorry's office and she was firing folks.

After the opening goal Sydney had spells of possession and plenty of shots on goal. However US import goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer was always perfectly positioned to stop any charge.

The critical moment of the game came when a sliding 6 yard clearance by Alanna Kennedy flew beyond Michelle Betos resulting in a unlucky own goal.

In the same game Kennedy took a stunning free kick that skimmed the post - the Sydney centreback was just inches from both gloom and glory.

Kennedy's bad luck tells the tale of Sydney FC's day as nothing went right.

Sparks of quality from Sydney towards the middle of the game were well received by the Coastie crowd, but lacking power on the shot and energy in the final third saw opportunities putter out.

Roar later put the icing on the cake in the second half with a clean header from a free kick. Appearing to seal the game at 3-0 but to many spectators the 3 points looked to be there's from the opening kick.

There is no love lost between these long time rivals.

Roar have had a tough season and are struggling to stay in the mix. Smashing their frenemies in this manner may lift them up but it is also a familiar story which may not translate every week.

For Sydney FC they are still sitting in a reasonable position to establish finals. Third place with a 4 point gap.

The eventual return of starting defender Renee Rollason will bolster the squad and take pressure off the current line-up.

Roar needed these points more but the truth is every team, excluding a certain standout side, need every single point in these closing rounds.

Sydney FC        0

Brisbane Roar    3 (Tameka Butt 19’, Alanna Kennedy 38’ O.G., Clare Polkinghorne 63’)

Sunday 20 December 2015

Central Coast Stadium, Gosford

Kick-off: 2pm Referee: Kate Jacewicz

Sydney FC: Michelle Betos (gk), Liz Ralston (Hannah Bacon 81’), Jasmyne Spencer, Teresa Polias (c), Nicola Bolger (Olivia Price 57’), Amy Harrison, Sunny Franco (Princess Ibini 57’), Alanna Kennedy, Teigen Allen, Kyah Simon, Leena Khamis

Substitutes – Sham Khamis (gk) Cautions – Teresa Polias 81’

Brisbane Roar: Haley Kopmeyer (gk), Amy Chapman, Clare Polkinghorne (c), Angela Beard, Gabrielle Marzano (Cortnee Vine 75’), Ayesha Norrie (Alisha Foote 71’), Katrina Gorry, Tameka Butt, Summer O’Brien (Maili Forbes 86’), Ruth Blackburn, Emily Gielnik

Substitutes – Carrie Simpson (gk) Cautions – Summer O’Brien 30’, Katrina Gorry 50’