Melbourne's Nathaniel Atkinson levelled scores minutes later, but right before halftime Sydney copped a crushing blow, when Luke Brattan was sent off, after earning his second yellow card from referee Chris Beath for a late challenge on City youngster Marco Tilio.
Despite Brattan and Corica protesting the decision, the midfielder eventually left the pitch nearly in tears, and Sydney were a man short for the rest of the match.
Luke Brattan of Sydney FC is given a red card during the A-League Grand Final (Getty)
Not long after the red card, City mounted pressure on Sydney's defence before earning a penalty when Adrián Luna was fouled by Anthony Caceres in the area. Captain Scott Jamieson smashed the ball into the net from the penalty spot to give Melbourne the 2-1 advantage at the break, and from there Sydney never really recovered.