The Clever Boys were looking for an upturn in fortunes at the expense of the CAF Confederation Cup finalists, and made their intentions clear from the onset.
Lehlohonolo Majoro, who got his second start following his arrival from Cape Town City, combined to good effect with Keene and nearly found the back of the net.
His first effort on goal though triggered Reyaad Pieterse into a one-handed save, while his follow-up attempt struck the post.
Minutes later, his goal-bound effort forced Azubuike Egwuekwe to block it away for a corner kick following Keene’s lay-off.
It wasn’t long before the deadlock was finally broken after Khumalo latched onto a corner kick before controlling on his shin to open proceedings with a half-volley after 16 minutes.
Three minutes later, the home side made it two through Keene who shrugged off Egwuekwe to beat Pieterse at his near post.
Moments before the half-hour mark, the Students were denied their third and Khumalo’s second when Pieterse side-footed the attempt back into play following Thulani Hlatshwayo’s assist.
While United battled to get a foothold on the clash, the champions got in their usual stride with their wing-play and set-piece efforts putting their counterparts in trouble.
Trailing by two goals, the visitors looked for a way back into the game with the introduction of Kingston Nkhatha.
His change brought an effect to their game as they looked more threatening with their movements off the ball, but still lacked the cutting edge to turn the game on its head.
The closest SuperSport came to scoring a goal was when Thuso Phala’s shot went across the face of goal 15 minutes before the end, while Nkhatha forced Buhle Mkhwanazi to deflect his effort into touch minutes later.