Zambian hitman Collins Mbesuma was marked out of the game as defending champions Kaizer Chiefs settled for a 0-0 draw against Silver Stars in their Castle Premiership clash at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday.

The Mamelodi Sundowns victory against Bloemfontein Celtic on Saturday bumps Chiefs to third position. While Chiefs might not complain much about a draw away from home against a gutsy Stars side, Mbesuma will probably not be too pleased after Dynamos striker Sandile Ndlovu overtook him in the race for the Golden Boot.

The lanky Dynamos striker scored three in the dramatic 3-1 win agianst Swallows to increase his tally to 14, while Mbesuma has 13 league goals.

The Amakhosi defence gave a five-star performance, much the same way they have done in the previous three matches and could hardly put a foot wrong on the day. However, the Stars defence was equally alert and it was man-of-the-match Lefa Mogaila who stood shoulders above the rest as he effectively shut out the Amakhosi goal scoring menace Mbesuma.

Amakhosi’s cause was further derailed when impressive Zambian striker Songwe Chalwe retired just four minutes into the second half with a troublesome hamstring injury. David Radebe, who should focus more on his composure in the box if he is to win over the Amakhosi supporters, took his place.

The searing heat in Limpopo meant a slow start to the game but the pace picked up in the second half. Despite the solid Stars defence, Mbesuma and his countryman Chalwe had their fair share of opportunities that could have been easily put away had it not been for the alert host team’s backline.

It was a good build-up from Chiefs, with Mbesuma quick to react before feeding off the ball to Chalwe, but the Stars were equal to the task, easily dispossessing Chalwe. Two minutes later Rowen Fernandez was tested by Koketso Mmotong’s well-taken shot, but the Chiefs keeper did well to save.

While Mogaila was calm and composed in dealing with the Chiefs attackers, Fabian McCarthy was not to be outdone in the heart of the Amakhosi defence. His anticipation and overall tackling was superb and he could never put a foot wrong. McCarthy was cautioned on nine minutes for over-enthusiasm but that booking never affected him as he tackled like never before.

Chiefs finished the half the stronger with Chalwe’s efforts of 32 and 38 minutes going just wide following some exciting combinations with Mbesuma and Gerald Sibeko.

The Stars defence was, without a doubt, faultless on the day but Chiefs paid dearly as their wings appeared non-existent. Emmanuel "Scara" Ngobese’s crosses seemed out of touch, with Patrick Mayo, at left-back, trying without luck to improvise.

Stars will look back at the second half - the 63rd minute to be exact - as the moment that could have perhaps won them the match. A dangerous ball was floated in the box but Mmotong could only spoon the ball over when scoring appeared the obvious thing to do. Again on 68 minutes Stars had another opportunity with Fernandez missing a clearance and, to his relief, so did midfielder Solomon Mathe.

A draw seemed a true reflection of this fixture but Chiefs lost out on an opportunity to return to second spot. With the Champions League next on their schedule, Amakhosi could drop further down should third placed Moroka Swallows manage a result against leaders Pirates next Saturday and Santos on February 16.