Orlando Pirates walloped arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs 3-1 at the FNB Stadium, and as always, the venue was packed to the rafters, even though some still feel that the Soweto Derby lost its spark a long time ago.
At least we know that the spark is still there, and that was reignited by the performance the two teams dished out on the afternoon, but what lessons did we learn from the match itself?
WISEMAN MEYIWA HAS A BIG HEART
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The 18-year-old midfielder was thrown into the deep the end against one of the best teams in the league and he hardly put a foot wrong.
Chiefs dominated the midfield, especially in the first half, thanks to Meyiwa's timeous tackles and ability to read the game well.
Often than not, younger players turn to disappear when it matters the most, but Meyiwa was always in the thick of things.
He formed a solid midfield partnership with Willard Katsande, and while he still has to work more on his offensive game, Meyiwa did well to test Siyabonga Mpontshane on a number of occasions before being substituted.
MICHO SREDOJEVIC IS A TACTICAL GENIUS
Micho Sredojevic has done a great job since joining Pirates, and he managed to study Chiefs' game plan at half-time and came up with a tactical masterplan to topple them in the second period.
Chiefs overloaded the midfield in the first half with Joseph Molangoane drifting inside, allowing Ramahlwe Mphahlele to overlap on the right hand side.
It was often four vs. three in the middle of the park whenever Chiefs had the ball, and Sredojevic had to stop the rut before it was too late.
The introduction of Luvuyo Memela did the damage, and as he stretched the Chiefs midfield, forcing Mphahlele to do the chasing.
Molangoane couldn't deal with Memela and he disappeared in the second half and got frustrated more as the game progressed.
LUVUYO MEMELA THE GAME-CHANGER
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The left-footed winger's first touch goal barely a minute into the second half changed the entire complexion of the game, and had it not been for his introduction, Chiefs would have probably continued to put Pirates against the ropes.
After Memela's strike, Chiefs knew that they had to attack more and the player was used mainly as an attacker without really coming back to assist in defence. His job description was clearly to stay upfront and use his pace to tear Chiefs apart.
And he did exactly that by adding to his tally as Chiefs forgot to shut the back door. At 3-1, it was game over.
In fact, Memela should have scored a hat-trick had he not delayed his move towards the end of the game, before he being dispossessed by Siphiwe Tshabalala.
KOMPHELA'S SUBSTITUTIONS NOT SO SPOT ON
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Komphela yet again got his substitutions wrong, and he was badly exposed by a hard-running Pirates side.
Hendrick Ekstein should have never featured on the day. He does a lot on the ball, but he lacks the final product, and in a game as important as the Soweto Derby where three points would be enough to put the pressure on log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Perhaps, Siphelele Ntshangase would have done a better job than Ekstein. Also, Joseph Molangoane wasn't as a effective in the second half. His final pass was poor and should have been the first to go off.
Ryan Moon was poor the entire afternoon, and Komphela took his time to withdraw him and even with Gustavo Paez on the pitch, it was still no clear who the target man was.
Paez had fresher legs, and should have done more running, but Leonardo Castro was often forced to collect from deep and on the flanks, before running into the box for crosses which hardly came.
CHIEFS ARE NOT REAL TITLE CONTENDERS
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In as much as Amakhosi are mathematically still in the title race, their chances of dislodging Sundowns or even Pirates are very slim.
They can overtake Pirates, but Saturday's performance gave clear indication that they're not genuine title contenders but title pretenders.
If a team as big as Chiefs play as poorly as they did against a fellow title contender, then there's no way they can claim to be title contenders. It's only a matter of time before their dream of winning the PSL title is over.
