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Johannesburg - AmaZulu produced a stunning display when they thumped struggling Moroka Swallows 4-0 in their Absa Premiership relegation battle at the Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday.
The win moves AmaZulu to 18 points and out of the relegation zone - seven points ahead of the second bottom Birds - while Mpumalanga Black Aces, who were beaten 1-0 away to Santos at the weekend, are rock bottom with only five points after 16 rounds.
It was one-way traffic for the Durban-based Usuthu, who are now 11th in the 16-team Premiership.
In the opening 45 minutes, they exposed and punished the home side’s poor defending en route to their second win away from home in the league this season.
Amazulu's previous away victory was over title-chasing Mamelodi Sundowns last month.
But it was a vital one as they inflicted a crushing home victory on another side fighting the big drop.
The Birds took the field in confident mood after successive wins over BidVest Wits and Aces, but this defeat has brought the Birds' and head coach Gordon Igesund back to reality.
Igesund faces a tough second round campaign, and will have to beef up his defence that will be minus defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele for next Friday’s trip to the Cape Town Stadium, where they will play title hopefuls Ajax Cape Town as part of a double-header bill.
Mphahlele picked up his third booking against AmaZulu. "My defence was shocking, but I am not panicking," admitted an annoyed Igesund.
"I have time to fix these mistakes."
AmaZulu, who were well beaten 3-1 at the FNB Stadium last Wednesday night by a rampant Kaizer Chiefs, bounced back to form and destroyed the Birds with their pace up front.
Once AmaZulu took the lead through Ramson Zhuwawo in the third minute, when the Zimbabwean midfielder managed to edge home a scrappy goal form a corner - the visitors never looked back.
The poor defending continued, with Birds central defender Ashraf Hendricks looking shaky.
Ayanda Dlamini rounded Hendricks, and forced Bird skipper Aubrey Mathibe to make a stunning save from his blistering shot in the seventh minute, as AmaZulu pressed for a second goal.
The breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Dlamini took advantage of bad defending to set up teammate Lehlohonolo Majoro, who made no mistake with a clinical finish to put AmaZulu 2-0 ahead
Birds tried briefly to fight back, and a brilliant save from Mbongeni Mzimela prevented Oscar Machapa from reducing the deficit in the 18th minute.
AmaZulu kept pushing forward, and the home side had a let-off when Tangeni Shipahu was allowed a free header, but the Namibian missed the target in the 20th minute.
Then Shipahu came close with a left footed drive in the 25th minute.
Swallows, who were minus star striker Siyabonga Nomvethe, lost their influential skipper and midfield general Lefa Tsutsulupa in the 31st minute through injury.
He was replaced by Tsepho Ramokala.
But Hendricks was exposed again by the livewire Dlamini, who breezed past the bemused central defender and fired AmaZulu into a commanding 3-0 lead in the 39th minute.
With the game over by halftime, AmaZulu were able to sit back and relax in the second half and let the home side do all the chasing. Swallows felt aggrieved in the 63rd minute when referee Richard Gomes disallowed a goal by substitute Kevin Richie for offside.
The Birds kept pushing hard for the breakthrough and should have reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute when Bradley Ritson blasted Machapa cross over the AmaZulu crossbar.
But, with the Birds looking for that illusive goal they almost went 4-0 behind when AmaZulu substitute Nsizwa Nyingwa crashed a shot against the Bird crossbar in the 75th minute.
Then in the last minute substitute Giorgi Nergadze had a shot cleared off the AmaZulu goalline.
Dlamini then added insult to injury when he made it 4-0 with the last kick of the game in injury time.
