Yacouba Songne played a starring role as Yanga SC defeated their hosts Mwadui FC 5-0 at Sokoine Stadium to open a 10-point gap on top of the Tanzania Mainland League table.
The Burkinabe scored a brace and set up goals for Deus Kaseke and Tuisila Kisinda before Lamine Moro scored the fifth.
The 27-time champions came into the match as favourites owing to their good form in the league. They were facing their hosts who have struggled to get off the mark this season.
Timu ya Wananchi started the game on a high, pinning their opponents in their half. They had to wait until the sixth minute before getting their first goal against the Shinyanga-based side.
Songne managed to pick out his captain Kaseke who was advancing towards goal. The latter kept his cool to slot home the opener and cool the nerves of the travelling fans.
In the 14th minute, the former champions doubled their advantage. The hosts failed to clear a dangerous ball in their area and it fell to Mukoko Tonombe who picked out Songne.
The Burkinabe forward controlled the ball well with his first touch before shooting past the goalkeeper.
Those were the only goals scored in the first half, though the Yanga fans felt it could have been more if the strikers were more clinical in front of the goal.
The 28-year-old was at it again in the 49th minute, this time around capitalizing on poor defending by Mwadui.
The red-hot Songne continued terrorising Mwadui and managed to grab his second assist of the game. He managed to set up Kisinda, who did not waste the opportunity of scoring the fourth goal for Wananchi.
Mwadui looked lost, and it did not come as a surprise when defender Lamine Moro got the fifth goal with 20 minutes to go.
In another top tier game played on Saturday, Dodoma Jiji FC defeated fellow debutants Gwambina FC by a solitary goal.
The Gwambina defenders failed to clear a long ball and Rashid Abdallah Seif Karihe managed to get it and fire the ball past the helpless custodian to hand his team all the points.
Polisi Tanzania and Ruvu Shooting played out a goalless draw.