Gor Mahia showing telltale signs of recapturing league title after toying Police around

35 minutes in, and the men in white were already having fun.

In one moment, Enock Morrison received a pass deep in midfield, lifted his left leg like a man who had suddenly hurt his toe to showboat, then went around his business, spraying a pass to the man on his left.

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The Ghanaian, seemingly enjoying his day out in the sun, immediately turned to the sea of green on his right, whipping his arms around, rallying it to get louder.

That sequence was just but a microcosm of a day of dominance for Gor Mahia, who, at their first sight of a team threatening to disrupt the status quo, swatted them aside like a fly.

Gor Mahia end Kenya Police's unbeaten start to seize league lead

If it was a fight, then K'Ogalo's 2-0 shellacking of pitiful Kenya Police would have been stopped in the first round. Win by submission in MMA terms, a chokehold.

It could be argued that the now table-toppers probably laughed at the strange build-up to the game.

"Record champions come up against the title holders, who, in case you didn't know, are the only unbeaten side this season. On top of that, they have the meanest defense, and last lost to Gor Mahia way back in April 2023."

What might have been swept under the rug, however, was the might of the supposed washed-up champions, who came out - not for the first time this season - rocking up with a squad that would best mimic Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars.

Even Charles Onyango in his commentary booth for Azam TV could barely count how many nationals were in Charles Akonnor's impressive outfit.

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Full of a committed press, it was no surprise that all it took was 110 seconds for them to go ahead.

The intangibles and ferocious work rate were all laid bare when a frazzled Tobias Otieno passed a ball right into Austine Odhiambo’s path, laying a platform for Ebenezer Adukwaw to set up the in-form Felix Oluoch for the opener.

"Watertight defense you said?" You felt the Gor Mahia players ask.

Two minutes later, Morrison was slapping the hoardings for missing a sitter at the back post.

At that point, it was easy to see the vast difference between the two sides - one built on a clear system, and the other, quite clueless, albeit with the added caveat that they were only in their second game under new coach Dusan Stojanovic, and looking to bed in a host of new signings.

A moment that put a stamp on those contrasts came half an hour in, when centre back Sylvester Owino - playing so high that he was in midfield - lobbed over a napping Police defense pleading for offside for Shariff Musa to push past Job Ochieng.

Two goals to the good, and with no sign of a fightback from their beatdown opponents, Gor Mahia then embarked on a mission to humiliate.

Morrison gladly led that department with his aforementioned showboating, his only head-scratching moment being a furious tackle on Edward Omondi, who was stretchered off deep in agony.

The jubilant crowd was there to witness a flurry of passes played around by a team in relative second gear for the rest of the second half, and when push came to shove, would have been delighted to see Owino and Michael Kibwage stand up in affront, seemingly ready to throw some punches.

Gor Youth graduate Reagan Omollo even had time to toy around with the Police backline, sparking wild laughs from his teammates on the bench when he failed to round off Ochieng.

Similar reactions were seen when Alpha Onyango made a buccaneering run from behind, only to hit his left-foot shot wide.

A week ago, those misses would have hurt, but not on this day, when they made everyone aware that the door to the championship only passes through them.