THE Newcastle Jets have conceded in injury time to throw away a precious three points for a second straight game and put another dent in their A-League play-off hopes.
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Teenage substitute Max Caputo saved the day for a 10-man Melbourne City and created more heartache for the Jets with an equaliser in the 92nd minute for a 1-all draw at AAMI Park on Sunday.
As they did in the 2-all draw with Perth the previous round, the Jets clocked off from a corner.
Caputo was left unmarked at the back of the pack and angled a header into the left corner, giving Jets keeper Michael Weier no hope.
The 17-year-old's late saviour cancelled out a penalty by Beka Mikeltadze in the 31st minute after Andrew Nabbout was pinged for a handball, following intervention from the VAR.
The home side played the final 50 minutes with 10 men after captain Scott Jamieson was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
The Jets, however, failed to make the most of the advantage and were under pressure for large parts of the second half.
The Jets moved to 26 points and, although dropping a place to ninth spot, remain two points behind sixth placed Sydney FC with four games to play.
Had the Jets not conceded the late goals and won the past two matches, they would be on 30 points and in sixth position.
Weier, who was outstanding, expressed his frustration at full-time.
"That's two weeks in a row that [we have conceded] a 90-plus minute header from a corner," he said. "It is basic stuff. You pick up your man and don't concede the goal, you see out the game, you win. It is just disappointing. That is the word to sum it up.
"You have to go 95 minutes of pure concentration. We are just not doing that. We are letting a player run and get a free header. It's not good enough. If we keep that up it will cost us a finals spot."
Jets coach Arthur Papas made two changes from the side that gave up a late goal for a 2-all draw with Adelaide United.
Reno Piscopo returned after two months out with a groin injury and replaced Manabu Saito in attack, while Dane Ingham was preferred ahead of Jason Hoffman at left back.
The visitors were also boosted by the inclusion of Brandon O'Neill, Beka Mikeltadze and Trent Buhagiar after the suspension threshold for yellow cards went from five to eight after 20 matches.
City were close to full strength, with Aiden O'Neill, Jordy Bos and Marco Tilio returning from Socceroos duty.
The visitors struck a decisive blow in the 28th minute when awarded a penalty for handball against Nabbout.
Grozos swung a freekick to the back post. Carl Jenkinson headed the ball down which struck the outstretched arm of Nabbout. Referee Jack Morgan missed the indiscretion but the VAR intervened.
Mikeltadze made no mistake from the penalty spot, sending Tom Glover the wrong way.
Jets midfielder Angus Thurgate was pinged for a similar handball in the 2-1 loss to Wellington in round 19 last month.
Weier produced a quality save, diving low to his left, to deny O'Neill in the 33rd minute as City started to apply pressure.
However, they were reduced to 10 men five minutes before the break when captain Scott Jamieson received a second yellow card for a late challenge on a runaway Mikeltadze.
Initially, Morgan ruled the City defender had collected the ball, but after consultation with the fourth official ruled against Jamieson and produced a yellow. That booking followed a yellow in the 20th minute for a tackle on Trent Buhagiar.
Despite being a man down, City continued to press high up the pitch in defence and take the game to the Jets.
Grozos should have doubled the Jets advantage in the 50th minute but lifted a shot from six metres high.
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