Sundowns were handsome winners in the end and moved back to the top of the league, two points ahead of title rivals Orlando Pirates, with both teams having eight games to go.
They are away at Durban City on Tuesday in another vital clash, before a trip to Tunisia to meet Esperance in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final on June 12.
They are away again at Polokwane City in domestic league action on June 15, and then host Esperance for the return leg of their semi-final on June 18.
Where the club sit after that could define their season … and the future of Cardoso.
“It was not an easy match. As I said before the match, there are no PSL matches that are easy. The question was whether the boys understood the message. That goal before half-time, of course, brought a little insecurity,” Cardoso told SuperSport.
“But the message was well delivered at half-time, how we needed to be committed and try to take the game into our hands, score the fourth goal that would finish the game, and I am happy for them.
“The boys, at the end of the day, gave a lot. The starters also made it their mission, so we look forward, and there’s another one already on Tuesday.”
Cardoso is a former coach of Esperance and will come up against his former side hoping to reach the Champions League final for the third year in a row, and a second time with Sundowns, who were shock losers to Pyramids last season.
“For the moment, I don’t really think about the Champions League,” he said. “I think about the next match in Durban, and after that we will have time to focus on Esperance.
“It’s just important that we always score more than our opponents. If you do that, you will go in the right direction.”
The win over Chippa was a ninth in a row for Sundowns in the league.