Corica struck from the spot after striker team-mate Alex Brosque went to ground in the box and the veteran Sydney playmaker converted from the spot after 16 minutes.

Sydney went down to ten men for the last ten minutes after Simon Colosimo was shown a straight red for an apparent rash tackle but the dismissal appeared harsh on the video replay.

Phoenix pressed hard for an equaliser in the hectic dying minutes but were unable to find the finishing touch needed in the windy conditions at Wellington's temporary home stadium in Palmerston and had to concede defeat at the final whistle.

The win puts Sydney on top of the A-League leaderboard depending on the result of Melbourne Victory's trip to Gosford to face Bluetonegue Stadium.

The heavy Manawatu wind was having a big effect on the game early, testing the players' anticipation of big kicks and their ability to play against a strong, cold breeze.

Sydney had the first decent shot on target through striker Alex Brosque, testing replacement keeper Reece Crowther, the 21-year-old was up to the occasion however and deflected the ball allowing it to be cleared.

The shot pushed the Phoenix into another gear however with midfielder Adrian Caceres finding his way through the defence to set up striker Daniel who was denied by Sky Blues keeper Clint Bolton.

Sydney took the lead in the 15th minute when Brosque fell in the box and was awarded a penalty kick, much to the dislke of the Yellow Fever fans who dominated that end of the stadium. Skipper Corica took the shot and nailed the ball into the upper right hand corner of the net.

The goal inspired Phoenix to go hot on attack and had Syndey back-pedalling as the pressure mounted from Wellington who were making the most of the wind.

Phoenix forward Leo Bertos was becoming more involved in the game and getting the better of his opposites. The Sydney defenders stayed true at the crucial times however, with Shannon Cole and Sung Hwan Byun doing well to keep the score in their favour.

Striker Paul Ifill had one more chance for Phoenix but failed to get the ball past Bolton, allowing Sydney to take the 1-0 lead into the break and the satisfaction of knowing it wouldn't have to run against the win in the second half.

Phoenix started the second half well, earning an early corner that was expertly guided into the box by Bertos. Daniel did well to jump through the defence and head solidly, only for Bolton to get his fingertips to the ball to deflect the shot.

A controversial foul on Corica allowed Sydney to put some heat on Phoenix, and the visitors went extremely close when Brosque's blasting shot was narrowly palmed off by Crowther.

Wellington had few opportunites in the half and never made them stick as Phoenix saw their formidable record on home soil slip from their grasp.

A twist of fortune saw the Sydney side reduced to 10 men when Simon Colosimo was straight red-carded for lifting his boots high in a tackle on Vince Lia.

Phoenix threw everything into the final minutes of the game but were unable to get past the gritty Syndey defence as the Sky Blues held on to claim a difficult and well-earned victory.

Wellington Phoenix 0
Sydney FC 1 (Corica 15)
Crowd 6459 at Palmerston North's FMG Stadium.