A solitary goal by Khanyisa Mayo saw Cape Town City FC beat Golden Arrows 1-0 at the Mpumalanga Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Citizens leapfrogged Mamelodi Sundowns to move into first place on the DStv Premiership standings with the win.
City continued their impressive form in the league and secured a sixth consecutive victory, while Arrows fell to their fourth successive defeat in all competitions
One of the dark horses in this season's title race, City took their title aspirations to a hostile and unpredictable Hammarsdale audience, with wet conditions contributing to a fast-tempo match.
Wanting to assert themselves from the get-go, visiting head coach Eric Tinkler deployed his familiar 4-3-3 formation with Mayo leading the charge alongside Thabiso Kutumela and Taahir Goedeman.
It came as no surprise when the in-form Mayo broke the deadlock inside eight minutes following quick build-up play from the visitors.
The Bafana Bafana striker notched up his sixth goal of the campaign after coming alive during a scramble in the Arrows box - Mayo reacted the quickest to react to score from close range.
The early breakthrough seemed to not only hand City a boost of momentum and confidence, but also woke up Arrows, which provided for a lively opening half.
The end-to-end nature of the game was edged by City who looked most likely to add to their lead by controlling the ball possession whilst creating chances.
Mayo went from hero to villain in first-half stoppage time as wasted a glorious chance to get his and City’s second of the match.
The visitor executed a well-planned pressing strategy and dispossessed Arrows near their box. Mayo ballooned his effort over the bar after being played through on goal by Goedeman.
Of the technical teams, Tinkler would’ve been more pleased heading into halftime as his side were able to keep an energetic Arrows at bay while playing their usual expansive football.
The second stanza started much like the first, as City fired the first warning shot through a set piece just two minutes in.
Lorenzo Gordinho showed his defensive instincts in the wrong box as he failed to tap home a well-delivered free-kick into the box.
A huge chunk of the second half was played in heavy fog, which turned the contest into a scrappy one with the vision of the players compromised.
The two teams will have yet another two-week break before they take to the field again as the Carling Knockout Cup takes centre stage next weekend.
City will play neighbours Stellenbosch FC on their return, while Arrows visit an unpredictable Chippa United in Gqeberha.
@ScribeSmiso