The Sky Blues had the better of the first half and were rewarded when Brendan Gan produced the match-winner in the 35th minute.

A midfield turnover allowed him to stream forward, break free from three defenders and pull the trigger from outside the box.

Adelaide goalkeeper Mark Birighitti was left stranded as Gan coolly sent the ball past his left side.

Sydney FC started the game with a stiff breeze behind it and made some promising forays into attack earning four of the first five corners of the game and maintaining constant pressure on the home side’s defenders.

Jacob Timpano and Chris Payne read the ball well from set plays but were just off target with headers.

Marc Warren also tested goalkeeper Birighitti who had to dive to his right to stop a low and well-directed strike.

United also managed to control the play in patches and were sharp in the middle of the ground. They also kept the opposition on their toes with some floating crosses and some clever link-up play just inside the box.

The Reds put in a credible performance and tried to find the quick response before the break but to no avail.

The second half saw more attacking play by the home side and they were unlucky not to have a goal of their own.

In the 62nd minute a dipping Jason Spagnuolo cross provided a gilt-edged opportunity but Adelaide lacked a composed finish in the box.

A Spagnuolo header slid across the face of the goal in the 79th minute and not long after a Joel Allwright strike cannoned into the left goal post to leave the home fans frustrated.

Sydney also threatened to score numerous times in the second half and in the end deserved the three points at the final whistle.

Reds coach Joe Mullen said he was pleased with his team’s effort against the 'benchmark' side.

"We did push, we had a few chances but Sydney held out well," he said.

"They’ve got a good defence, they work very hard, they got behind the ball early and they did what we’ve done well this year, they pressured the player with the ball."