Johannesburg — After their 2-1 win against arch-rivals Orlando Pirates away from home on Saturday, second-placed Kaizer Chiefs kept their slim chances of bridging the gap between them and log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns alive as they trail by 16 points.
Chiefs, though, will be the first team to admit that they were the second-best side against Pirates, although they won the game after taking their chances. Below, IOL Sport looks at three moments that defined the win for the Glamour Boys.
Sticking with Peterson
There were a lot of speculations that Chiefs' coach Stuart Baxter would spring a surprise in the goalkeeping department by dropping Brandon Peterson for one of the experienced keepers: Itumeleng Khune or Daniel Akpeyi. But he didn't.
And that paid off, with Peterson making two match-winning saves late in the Soweto derby. He palmed Olisah Ndah’s goal-bound shot against the crossbar before it rolled away to safety. He then cleared Terrence Dzvukamanja's shot off the line.
Game Management
In the past, Baxter has got some stick from the Amakhosi faithful for adopting a defensive approach. But that plan actually worked for him on Saturday afternoon, especially after bombarding the engine room after Khama Billiat’s injury.
Midfield Kearyn Baccus, Khama’s replacement, is not the fastest of players at Chiefs, but that allowed them to control the tempo of the game. Their back-five were able to position themselves whenever the Buccaneers were in attack mode.
Experience steps-up
Captain Bernard Parker walked away with the Man of the Match award. And his coach raved to the club’s media department that “Bernard Parker has played many games for me...he hasn’t played many better than that. He was outstanding”.
When Pirates drew level after some shambolic defending from Chiefs, another seasoned campaigner Eric Mathoho stepped up and scored the winner for the visitors after he managed to get in between three markers and head home a corner-kick.
IOL Sport