As the expected front-runners have struggled to find a stride yet in the Absa Premiership marathon, Mamelodi Sundowns' rhythm is beginning to look imposing.
The PSL’s strongest team on paper followed up a 3-1 away win against Orlando Pirates with a 2-0 victory against battling Bidvest Wits at the Clever Boys' Bidvest Stadium stronghold on Tuesday night that was even more convincing than the scoreline suggested.
Substitute and man-of-the-match Khama Billiat's second-half brace (63rd and 82nd minutes) killed Wits.
The Clever Boys, Telkom Knockout finalists, have looked markedly better in the cups, but in the league continue to rattle like a broken freight train.
This has been a heavyweight bout between title chasers in recent seasons.
That both got out the blocks slowly in 2017-18 – Sundowns going into Tuesday night’s game in eighth place, and champions Wits in second-last – took some of the edge off, but there was no less competitiveness, aggression and pace to the clash.
Wits coach Gavin Hunt retained his 3-5-2 formation that was relatively effective suppressing Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 here in the TKO semifinals on Saturday.
In one personnel change Elias Pelembe came in to inject pace at striker next to Amr Gamal.
Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane made no changes from his lineup who beat Pirates at Orlando Stadium way back on November 1.
Wits prefer to try to snuff Sundowns out. With the champions' still far from fluent, and with their absentee list, against a full-strength Sundowns, that was an unlikely prospect on Tuesday night.
The result was a quite open, fairly end-to-end game.
Tellingly though, whenever Wits tried to up the ante Sundowns came back with a bigger response.
Downs took the advantage early as Tebogo Langerman's shot forced Darren Keet to hold well before Thapelo Morena shot powerfully at the goalkeeper.
For Wits, in a comedy of errors, Gamal took the ball wide when he should have shot from in front of goal, then Daine Klate miscued.
From the counterattack Percy Tau was free on the left but Keet tipped over.
And Sundowns remained dominant as, from Tau's run and tee-up, Vilakazi blazed a drive that skimmed the crossbar.
Early in the second half Pelembe squeezed a shot at Denis Onyango, and Sifiso Hlanti cracked a half-volley wide from range.
Mosimane responded to Wits’ more forceful start bringing on the recently subdued-in-form Billiat for Morena in the 57th.
Within six minutes an old partnership of Tau and Billiat opened Wits, the former played down the left to slip a pass to the unmarked latter to tap in from two metres, with Keet stranded.
In the last 10 minutes pressure from Downs in midfield saw the ball worked to Billiat on the left, who finished low past Keet.
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