Mpontshane – 6
Made a few good saves to keep Pirates in the game – most notably denying Erick Mathoho on the line after collecting Lorenzo Gordinho’s headed effort off the crossbar, as well as Pule Ekstein’s long-range effort in the 16th minute. Failed to marshal his defense.
Matlaba – 4
Didn’t look comfortable at right-back and was ineffective in attack. Lacked efficiency when in possession and selfishly opted to go for goal from distance on the few occasions that he got forward, with none of the shots close to worrying Itumeleng Khune. Was caught ball watching when Happy Jele moved to cover his position and Gustavo Paez’s cross made its way to Bernard Parker.
Jele – 4
A poor performance in central defense. Dropped off too much and allowed the Chiefs attack to command his area in and around the box. Was too slow to attend to Paez and make a block that would have denied Parker the only goal of the match.
Gcaba – 3
Was a shadow figure alongside Jele. Guilty of allowing Parker to run freely to get on the end of Paez’s cross and score in the 10th minute. Wasn’t very convincing in central defense and offered little protection to goalkeeper Mpontshane.
Phungwayo – 4
Was pegged back in defense and failed to get forward and create options in attack. Played very close to Gcaba and allowed plenty of space down Chiefs’ right flank for Ramahlwe Mphahlele to exploit.
Sarr – 3
Had a nightmare performance and often dropped deep into defence, leaving plenty of room for Chiefs attackers to run rampant. His partnership with Manyisa looked in tatters.
Manyisa – 4
Looked a tired figure and failed to drive the team forward in the first half. Was left to chase shadows on his own due to Issa Sarr backing off and leaving the midfield exposed. Uncharacteristically gave away plenty of possession and lacked any creativity in attack.
Mpho Makola – 3
Created very few options and attacking threats through the middle. Showed no synergy with his attacking teammates and tried to take sole responsibility of finding an equaliser, leaving his teammates up in arms as they waited for passes.
Luvuyo Memela – 3
Played a free role, switching from left-wing to attacking midfielder to right-wing, but was very ineffecient. Tried to combine with Gabuza and Ndoro but passes often went astray.
Gabuza – 4
Tried his best to hustle around the box and in the air, but was under close watch by Gordinho. Produced a good cross to pick out Sarr inside the box, but the effort at goal was wayward.
Ndoro – 3
Still struggling for form and featured in patches as he was overshadowed by the presence of Gabuza. Made a few runs at the defense but cheapishly gave away posession and failed to trouble Khune.
Sangweni – 4
Came on for Sarr in the 54th minute. Looked nervous on debut and struggled to get up to speed with the pace of a Soweto Derby. Sideways passes showed he went for safety while Chiefs’ relentless pressure caught him off guard on a number of occasions.
Kutumela – 3
Replaced Ndoro in the 60th minute. Played down the right flank but couldn’t get past Tsepo Masilela and struggled to make a mark on the match.
Nyatama – 4
Came on for Memela in the 60th minute to make his debut. Gave Pirates a bit more options in the attacking midfield role but also struggled to match up to the pace of the Derby.
Mobara – 5
Replaced Manyisa in the 65th minute. Brought some stability to the central midfield and forced Chiefs to turn to the wings. Also made himself available in attack.
Morrison – 5
Took over from Gabuza in the 66th minute. Looked very lively and had the best chance of the game for Pirates, when his rifled effort at goal was saved by Khune in the 79th minute.
Nkosi – N/A
Came on for Makola in the 77th minute. Did not play long enough for a rating.