Sibusiso Vilakazi scored a hat-trick, his first taste of the net all season, as Bidvest Wits beat Ajax Cape Town 4-2 in a thriller at Bidvest Stadium.
It was a pivotal return to form for Vilakazi because if Wits are to catch the Kaizer Chiefs Gautrain, whom they now trail by 11 points, they will need him to fire with purpose.
Vilakazi put The Clever Boys ahead with a scrambled goal 11 minutes in after Maliele Pule tied knots of the Ajax defence before putting a bewildering cross into the six-yard area.
There was something that resembled a response from Ajax five minutes later but Cecil Lolo could not connect his head with Travis Graham's cross from inside the left touchline.
Two minutes from the break Thulani Hlatshwayo headed in a zippy Ben Motshwari corner to double Wits' money.
Twenty minutes into the second half Pule got a bitter taste of his own medicine. Ajax right-back Nazeer Allie skinned him down the right before aiming a bazooka at Moeneeb Josephs, and there was nothing the goalkeeper could do about the shot from 20 metres.
Lolo almost repeated the trick down the other flank five minutes later but Josephs tipped over.
It proved crucial because Vilakazi tapped in at the other end, scrounging from a rebounded Jabulani Shongwe shot.
Vilakazi anaesthetised the anxiety caused by Noah Sadaoui eight minutes from time with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time and completed his hat-trick.
Vilakazi's three help Wits hammer Ajax
Sibusiso Vilakazi scored a hat-trick, his first taste of the net all season, as Bidvest Wits beat Ajax Cape Town 4-2 in a thriller at Bidvest Stadium.
It was a pivotal return to form for Vilakazi because if Wits are to catch the Kaizer Chiefs Gautrain, whom they now trail by 11 points, they will need him to fire with purpose.
Vilakazi put The Clever Boys ahead with a scrambled goal 11 minutes in after Maliele Pule tied knots of the Ajax defence before putting a bewildering cross into the six-yard area.
There was something that resembled a response from Ajax five minutes later but Cecil Lolo could not connect his head with Travis Graham's cross from inside the left touchline.
Two minutes from the break Thulani Hlatshwayo headed in a zippy Ben Motshwari corner to double Wits' money.
Twenty minutes into the second half Pule got a bitter taste of his own medicine. Ajax right-back Nazeer Allie skinned him down the right before aiming a bazooka at Moeneeb Josephs, and there was nothing the goalkeeper could do about the shot from 20 metres.
Lolo almost repeated the trick down the other flank five minutes later but Josephs tipped over.
It proved crucial because Vilakazi tapped in at the other end, scrounging from a rebounded Jabulani Shongwe shot.
Vilakazi anaesthetised the anxiety caused by Noah Sadaoui eight minutes from time with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time and completed his hat-trick.