During the 99th derby attended by a sizable crowd from both giants, Gor Mahia arrived with the aim to earn revenge following their first-round fixture, which they had lost 1-0.
Apart from earning revenge, Gor Mahia knew a straight victory of any kind would help them keep their top spot and open a six-point gap to their sworn nemesis with five matches remaining to conclude the season.
Heading into the eagerly-awaited fixture, Gor Mahia had registered 17 wins, seven draws, and four defeats, while AFC, under head coach and former player Fred Ambani, had managed 16 wins, seven draws, and suffered five defeats.
Goalkeeper Humphrey Katasi returned to the AFC Leopards starting XI as coach Fred Ambani named the starting team to face Gor Mahia, while Kenya national team goalkeeper Byrne Omondi came in to replace Gadd Mathews for Gor Mahia.
Gor Mahia won the first corner of the derby, courtesy of Patrick Essombe. Enock Morrison delivered from the right side, but it was cleared by an AFC Leopards defender.
In the 14th minute, Gor Mahia continued to threaten and it was Ebenezer Adukwaw who won a free-kick from outside the area. The Ghanaian import stepped up to deliver, but his effort went off inches wide.
Gor Mahia continued to dominate the derby and Katasi saved AFC Leopards twice. He first denied Adukwaw from close range before he did well to block Patrick Essombe from giving Gor Mahia the lead.
Immediately after the missed opportunity, Cameroonian Essombe wasted another chance after he directed his effort straight to Katasi's hands despite being in a position to find the back of the net.
AFC Leopards midfielder Boniface Munyendo was the first to go into the referee's book following a clumsy foul.
Gor Mahia had another great chance to break the deadlock from a corner, but Katasi did well to deny Paul Ochuoga.
The first half ended 0-0 but Gor Mahia coach Charles Akonnor cut a frustrated figure as he walked down the tunnel because his side was by far the better side, and should have gone into the break with an advantage.
At the start of the second half, Ambani made a double change, bringing in youngster Kelly Madada, Hassan Beja for Munyendo and Ronald Sichenje. For Gor Mahia, Ebenezer Adukwaw paved the way for Ebenezer Assifuah.
Alpha Onyango scored the only important goal to silence their old rivals at full-time. The defender fired Gor Mahia into the lead from outside the area after controlling Bryton Onyona’s cross before firing onto the top left corner.
The win saw Gor Mahia cement their lead at the summit with 61 points.
Going into the derby, Gor Mahia had not seen victory in the previous three matches. After beating Shabana 2-1, Gor Mahia drew 0-0 against Kariobangi Sharks before suffering a 1-0 defeat against Tusker FC, followed by another 0-0 draw against Bandari FC.
For AFC Leopards, they had seen their three-game run halted by champions Kenya Police FC in a 3-0 defeat in their last fixture, and were looking to bounce back to winning ways in the derby.
Prior to the defeat, AFC Leopards had defeated Tusker 1-0, Kariobangi Sharks 1-0, and Murang’a Seal 2-0. Out of the 98 derby matches played before Sunday, Gor Mahia had secured 34 wins, 35 draws, while AFC Leopards had 29 wins.
Last season, the first-round meeting between the two giants ended in a 0-0 draw before the return fixture produced a 1-1 draw. However, during the 2024-25 campaign, Gor Mahia went home smiling after sealing a double over their rivals.
In the first-round meeting, Gor Mahia secured a 2-0 win before registering a 1-0 victory in the second-round meeting on their way to winning a record 21st league title. The slim victory saw Gor Mahia move to 61 points at the summit of the table ahead of second-placed AFC Leopards, who remained on 55 points.
In other matches, APS Bomet edged out Sofapaka 1-0, while KCB and Kakamega Homeboyz settled for a 1-1 draw. Ulinzi Stars picked up a vital 2-1 win over Bandari, as Shabana and defending champuons Kenya Police FC played out a 0-0 draw.
Nairobi United secured a 2-1 victory against Mathare United, while Kariobangi Sharks defeated Murang’a Seal 1-0.