Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane hopes to chase down Absa Premiership log-leaders Kaizer Chiefs, saying the title race is ‘still alive’.

Mosimane looked ready to concede defeat in the title race after his side’s 1-0 defeat by Orlando Pirates last week, which increased the gap between Downs in second place and Amakosi at the top by nine points.

Mosimane’s charges bounced back from that defeat, though, with a 2-1 win over SuperSport United in the Tshwane derby. Chiefs, meanwhile, could only manage a 1-1 draw away with Black Leopards, which reduced the gap to seven points.

Speaking after the big win on Sunday, Mosimane insisted that Chiefs could still drop the points and open the door for his side to pounce.

‘May is too far, we can drop points again. Imagine if we didn’t drop points against Pirates and Bidvest Wits twice. It says this thing is still alive, that is the reality,’ said the former Bafana Bafana coach.

The Downs coach yet again highlighted the rest afforded Chiefs due to their non-participation in any continental competitions, unlike Sundowns and Bidvest Wits.

‘But you are distracted because you look there and other people are just looking at one thing. Maybe [Gavin] Hunt will disturb them twice because they will have Wits, they have Pirates and they have us. But they are on honeymoon, give them respect,’ Mosimane added.

‘I’d like to talk about Wits because they run the same race as us. They are not a well-rested team. We are going to Luanda, and Wits were in Egypt against a Libyan team. It’s very difficult to focus on the league and be No 1 in the Champions League, and now there will be the Nedbank Cup against SuperSport United again. They focused on cups until Gavin Hunt came and won three league titles in a row. Let’s respect that.’