CAPS United put in another defiant display to end Ngezi Platinum's four-match winning streak with a thumping 3-0 victory in Harare on Sunday.
Just four days after the 2-1 midweek conquest of FC Platinum, CAPS showed no signs of fatigue as they overran title favourites Ngezi, with double scorer Dominic Chungwa and new boy John Zhuwawo doing the damage.
The encounter, played before a sizeable crowd at Rufaro Stadium, looked cagey in the opening stages as both sides struggled for the creative spark. However, things took a dramatic twist on the half-hour mark when Moses Muchenje threaded a clever ball to the left and Phineas Bamusi used his speed to gather and deliver an inviting cross for Chungwa to direct beyond visiting goalkeeper Nelson Chadya.
Ngezi's defence has often proved their Achilles Heel and there was further evidence of their vulnerability two minutes later as Zhuwawo gleefully collected a poor clearance on the edge of the area to fire a fierce grounder past a bemused Chadya. Former Gunners man Zhuwawo then turned provider when his high ball into the box enabled Chunga to complete his double with a close-range header just after the hour-mark.
The setback means the Mhondoro-based upstarts will spend the week in second place, two points behind new leaders Chicken Inn after match-day 22.
FC Platinum, meanwhile, climbed one place up into third after a fiercely contested 1-0 win away to Triangle, with Winston Mhango converting from the spot on 26 minutes. Norman Mapeza's team now sit three points behind leaders Chicken Inn as they push for an elusive maiden league crown.
Elsewhere, Talent Chamboko struck just before the break to power ZPC Kariba to a 1-0 win away to Shabanie. It was the second consecutive win for the Mashonaland West side, whose own title prospects had been sorely compromised after a run of just two wins in 12 matches. Kariba now sit sixth, ten points off the top.
On Saturday, veteran defender Moses Jackson scored a rare goal as former champions Chicken Inn reaffirmed their title credentials with a battling 1-0 win over Black Rhinos. Chicken Inn have been among the more consistent teams in the Zimbabwe Premier League over the last two months and the conquest of Black Rhinos represented a fifth win in the last six.
Black Rhinos, who went into the midseason break atop the standings, now lie eighth with 31 points, 14 behind Chicken Inn.
And while the army side's title dream has effectively collapsed, Chicken Inn's own prospects of reclaiming the league crown they won two seasons ago are looking more realistic with each passing week. Rahman Gumbo's men have lost just once in the last 14 matches and the former Warriors gaffer appears to have discovered the formula to grind out results even on bad days.
Cosafa Cup winner Innocent Mucheneka has been the team's mainstay with six goals from a defensive midfield role, but the experience of former TP Mazembe duo of Daryl Nyandoro and Chris Samakwere has proved vital too. Mid-season acquisition Collins Dhuwa is really yet to settle but his performances at Shabanie in the first-half of the campaign suggest he can soon be an asset.
At the other end of the log table, Yadah FC climbed out of relegation territory into 13th place after Munyaradzi Chiwara's late strike handed them a 1-0 win over Chapungu. Top-flight debutants Yadah now have 24 points, one behind Chapungu in 12th.
In another match played Saturday, Ismail Wade clinched a stoppage-time winner as Bulawayo City beat Harare City 1-0 to move into tenth with 27 points.