The Citizens secured a second successive win over the Students as Ayanda Patosi’s 43rd-minute strike at Cape Town Stadium earned City a 1-0 victory and the advantage heading into the return fixture at the Bidvest Stadium.
Speaking after the game, McCarthy was full of praise for his side’s ability to restrict the defending champions in attack, but knows they have plenty of work to do if they are to book their spot in the final.
“I think we stopped Wits from playing. I think they’re very strong in midfield and they like to overload the wide positions, always get the full-backs two-against-one, which they do so well, but we were aware of that,” McCarthy told SuperSport TV.
“[We] limited them [Wits] as much as possible and then was able to try and play our normal game, but we knew we were going to be up for a fight and we’re going to have to really work hard.
“And I said to the boys, I think today if you can match them with heart, if you can match them with intensity and if you can work as hard as they do, we’ve got extra qualities that they [Wits] are maybe lacking, even though they’re the champions.
“I said our qualities will come through and that’s exactly what they did, so I can’t fault them for anything.”