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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has unpacked the 3-0 victory over Sekhukhune United that moved his side to the top of the Betway Premiership.
How long Downs remain at the summit will depend on the result this afternoon between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC.
But Mngqithi was impressed with how they were able to unlock a Babina Noko outfit that set deep in their own half.
"I think we managed to control the game the way we wanted to and we pushed very hard to get a goal in the first half. They allowed us openings in the half spaces and in the wide channels,” said Mngqithi.
“I think that's where we managed to create the first for Aubrey to go in and have a chance to take a shot but I must also say the pass from Pitso was a very good pass because I think that's the pass that eliminated the opponent.
“Unfortunately, their defender gave us another one so we appreciate the fact that we managed to score goals today because if I were to look at this match and look at the previous two matches I think we were facing the same phenomenon of a team that is looking to come out on transition but defensively they try to load the last line and kill the space as much as possible but we managed to get that goal from Aubrey.
“I was confident that they will open a little bit and we might get more. I do believe in this match we could have scored more than five but unfortunately, it was just not to be. We played against a good team."
Sundowns got off the mark via an own goal from Trésor Tshibwabwa, then followed up with two more from strikers Arthur Sale and Iqraam Rayners.
Mngqithi explained why he felt Sekhukhune were ultra defensive.
"They resorted to a strategy that they hardly use because they are not a team that normally sits back like that but today, I think they thought after their loss against TS Galaxy maybe they don't want to lose again and that gave us a little bit more momentum,” the coach added.
“With threats obviously from Keletso [Makgalwa], from Boyeli [Boyeli], from Kapinga [Lesedi] in the initial stages but I think we managed to deal with those situations quite well."
