Ten-man Mpumalanga Black Aces fought a brilliant rearguard action last night to hold out against Mamelodi Sundowns and shoot to the top of the Absa Premiership after a heroic 1-0 win.

Aces were down to 10 men for the entire second half after goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane got sent off, but put on a stout performance at the back to keep at bay the highly rated attack from Sundowns.

Aces had taken the lead through their skipper Zamuxolo Ngalo eight minutes from the interval but the real drama came after the break as reserve goalkeeper Shu-aib Walters made some fine stops and the four-man defence held firm in the face of swarm after swarm of attack from the visitors.

Pitso Mosimane was frustrated with a lack of combination and admitted Sundowns did not play well, taking some of the blame himself after the game. "It was disappointing," he said.

But there was real joy for Muhsin Ertugral and high praise for the defensive resilience of Aces, who are now top of the early season standings with seven points.

The home team had the first real chance as they showed early on that they could combine and pass as well as the much-vaunted Sundowns' line-up. Aubrey Ngoma set up Thanduyise Khuboni with a chance just inside the box in only the seventh minute but themidfielder took too long and his effort was blocked.

Thabo Nthethe might have put Sundowns in the lead six minutes later but headed off target at the back post.