Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter hailed his side's resilience after their hard-fought 2-1 victory over Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday. 

A second-half brace by Keagan Dolly fired Chiefs to a second straight derby triumph over Pirates in league matches.

Baxter, who has now recorded four wins in 10 derby matches, with five draws and a single loss, was pleased with the resilience after Chiefs let in an equaliser three minutes from time through Linda Mntambo.

“I think we opened the game very well. Our passing was good and finding the right spaces we spoke about in the prematch and the first 15 minutes I thought it was good,” Baxter told the media after the game.

“Then we became passive in our press and counter-press, which allowed Pirates to play balls forward and they timed their movement a little bit better. It didn’t hurt us badly, but it was threatening to hurt us and we said at halftime that if they are going to hurt us, that’s how it is going to be. 

“I was wondering if this is going to be one of those games where I say we thought we did well, but we missed chances. We gave away what I thought was a poor goal and messed up in other areas.

“But the lads came back and they pushed on hard on a critical face and we got ourselves a penalty and won the game, which I think we deserved.”

One of the players who stood out for Baxter during the match was Njabulo Blom.

“It isn’t just about him having a good game, it’s about the inspiration that he gives to others that have been where he’s been playing,” Baxter said.

“And he comes back after a poor first half and he’s excellent in the second half.

“I think he’s one player, with no disrespect to any of the other players in our team, he’s one player that’s got a big game in him but he could step up, and he’s got the ingredients to step up and play on a very high level.

“I think that’s Blom. And yeah, I think the national team, we’re going get a lot of good service from him as you move down the years.”