A red card to Newcastle striker Roy O'Donovan in the 14th minute could have ruined the spectacle of the top of the table clash.

But in a see-sawing match the undermanned Jets, spurred on by a raucous home crowd, took it to the league leaders.

In what was a scintillating glimpse into a potential Grand Final face-off, the Jets handed the Sky Blues just their second defeat of the season and their third in 52 games. The last time the Hunter outfit vanquished Sydney was 2012.

Nabbout whose long range missile in the 56th minute sealed the points for Newcastle said his teammates had pulled off a Herculean task.

"I think we lost Roy (O'Donovan) in the 13th minute or something," he told Fox Sports.

"So to put in a performance for 75 plus minutes with 10-men at home in front of a crowd of 18,000 plus is just unbelievable - and it's against the top team no less.

"Take nothing away from them, they're a very well oiled machine and that's why they're on top."

 

 

Down a man, the Jets drew first blood from the penalty spot, when Dimi Petratos struck against his former club in the 43rd minute.

Bobo  equalised on 52 minutes before Nabbout delivered his giant-killing blow four minutes later.

The result pegs back Sydney's lead over Ernie Merrick's men to eight points.

Nabbout, who scored a contender for goal of the season against Western Sydney Wanderers recently, showed again why he is the target of overseas interest.

"I saw a gap and tried to hit it as hard as I could," the 25-year-old said of his winning strike, admitting he didn't know if he had played his last game in Jets colours.

"I'm not sure. Like I said midweek, there's interest like there's been all year. (Tonight) I just wanted to give the fans the recognition they deserve because they pushed us through that at the end."

The pulsating match exploded from the get-go and Sydney defender Jordy Buijs became enemy number one when O'Donovan was sent off early.

The Dutchman ran across the line of O'Donovan who appeared to hit the centreback in the head with his right hand.

Buijs made a meal of the contact and after a lengthy referral to the VAR, referee Chris Beath brandished a red.

Nabbout said the crowd lifted the team to nail the win despite the odds.

"(The fans) were immense for us, they were our 12th man, so to speak - we're very proud of them and we're very proud of the boys," he said.

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