United fell to their third-straight defeat against Sydney FC on Sunday, undone by first-half goals from Harbourside talisman Adam Le Fondre.

The defeat also stretched the club’s goalless run to five hours, Rudan’s side profligacy in front of goal becoming a concerning habit for the A-League newcomers just eight weeks into the season.

It was something the United gaffer reflected upon post-game.

“Yeah look, we get into that penalty box quite often,” began Rudan.

“We had four times the number of shots that they did but it’s just about composure and it’s about taking the right options as well.

“It’s about being in the right place at the right time. There was one moment there when [Dylan] Pierias cut the ball across the face of goal and, we talk about strikers hitting the near post, and Bes, you know, he’s not there yet.

“As good as Bes is, he normally swallows that up. He’s usually the first to the front post, gets a toe in or a foot in and you’re back in the game.

“But we’ll keep working. That’s just one moment, we need to go back.

“We’ve analysed a lot of the options, goalscoring options that we’ve created or entries into the penalty box, and making sure that we’re in the right place at the right time.

“We just happened to come up against a desperate side [today] that blocked everything that came their way.

“I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. We need to work more on that area.”

In particular, Rudan identified one moment that summed up Sydney’s defensive effort.

“It’s not normal that I sit here and talk about the opposition,” he said.

“But there was one moment in the second half when we broke away and there was something like six or seven blue shirts hounding one of our players to try and win the ball back.

“They’re the champions for a reason and I think that action tells you a lot about that football club and what they’re about.”