With their season on the line, the Jets produced their worst performance of the campaign.

The home side, minus seven players on international duty headed by captain Andrew Durante, keeper Glen Moss and strike pair Roy Krishna and Shane Smeltz, dominated from the outset.

Kosta Barbarouses, who was outstanding, put Phoenix ahead in the 24th minute. Gui Finkler (37^th minute) doubled the advantage at half time. Substitute Michael Ridenton added a third, three minutes into the second half before an own goal by Jason Hoffman (66th) and a Roly Bonevacia strike (86th) rubbed salt into the wound.

“The goals we conceded weren’t good enough,” frustrated coach Mark Jones said. “They were poor. Then, when we had our opportunities, we didn’t take them. It just wasn’t a good performance. We had instances throughout the year where we have have had players missing and done well. Tonight we had pretty much everyone available and we didn’t perform.”

The heavy defeat was the Jets’ worst since a 6-1 humiliation to Perth at home in round 16 last season.

In the past six games the Jets have scored one goal and conceded 14.

They remain in eighth place on 22 points, but are only two points in front of last-placed Central Coast, who they meet in Gosford in the penultimate round.

“There is pride to play for now,” Jones said. “We have to get out and do a job. We have gone from potentially making the six to pushing the bottom end of the table. We have to pull our fingers out.”

Wanderers’ 3-1 win over Melbourne City on Friday night had extended their gap over the Jets to nine points, making a tough task of making the six almost impossible.

The job became harder in the 24th minute thanks to the brilliance of Barbarouses.

A shock omission from the All Whites side, Barbarouses broke clear and turned Jets defender Lachlan Jackson inside-out before drilling an angled shot past the right hand of Jack Duncan.

It was the 14th game this season the Jets have conceded the opener.

Jason Hoffman had earlier stung the gloves of Phoenix keeper Lewis Italiano – one of five fresh faces in the starting side – and Andrew Nabbout had a shot deflect into the side netting.

Barbarouses turned provider for the second goal. He delivered a cross from the left for Finkler who muscled in front of Jackson and thumped a header in off the left post.

The Jets struggled to get out of their own territory at times, with Phoenix picking off 11 passes in the first half alone.

Most of the Phoenix damage was done down the left. Jones reacted at half-time by replacing Johnny Koutroumbis with Daniel Mullen.

“We said at half-time, this is it,” Jones said. “If we lose we are done. Is that the best you have got?”

It did little to stop the haemorrhaging. Three minutes after the break Ridenton side-footed a low shot through a crowded box after a Dylan Fox header hit the crossbar.

With nothing more to lose, the Jets bombed forward and started to create chances.

Lewis Italiano denied Hoole, then Nabbout with a double save in the 57th minute. Hoole blazed high two minutes later and Morten Nordstrand also overcooked a shot from distance.

The Jets finally found the back of the net in the 66th minute, but unfortunately it was at the wrong end, with Jason Hoffman slotting an innocuous Hamish Watson cross into the visitors’ own goal.