ATK Mohun Bagan took a huge step towards taking the top spot in the Indian Super League with a convincing 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao on Tuesday.
The Mariners hardly had to break a sweat as two first-half goals from Roy Krishna (37) and Marcelinho (44) were enough to take them to within one point of table-toppers Mumbai City FC.
Bengaluru meanwhile were handed a reality check after a game where they were thoroughly outplayed.
When the game got underway, it was Bengaluru who enjoyed more of the possession and given that Bagan have always been slow starters, it looked like the Blues would take charge.
What transpired in the first 45 minutes though was something rarely demonstrated by the Kolkata outfit as they switched into a different gear and rolled over Naushad Moosa's side.
After soaking up the pressure from Bengaluru in the first ten to fifteen minutes, the frontline of Bagan started to cause the Bengaluru defence all sorts of problems.
David Williams who returned to the squad was linking up play brilliantly which gave the likes of Krishna and Marcelinho the license to roam free and drag defenders out.
Krishna tested Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with a searing strike midway through the half followed by Marcelinho and that was a sign of things to come.
Bagan eventually went onto take the lead in the 37th minute when Bengaluru defender Pratik Chaudhari lost possession close to his penalty area and ended up clumsily bringing down Krishna in the box while trying to recover.
The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty which was neatly tucked away by Krishna to score his twelfth goal of the season.
Bengaluru hardly had a clear cut chance in the first half and the evening became more arduous when they made another defensive mistake which led to a second goal.
Their experienced defender Harmanjot Khabra rammed straight into Williams right at the edge of the box.
It was in Marcelinho territory and the Brazilian curled in a breathtaking free-kick past Gurpreet to make it 2-0 just before half-time.
After a horror spell at Odisha FC earlier this season, Marcelinho is re-discovering his touch at Bagan. Prior to this game, Bagan had scored just two goals in the first half of games in ISL-7 and their performance here against Bengaluru was further proof that the team are becoming more and more potent with each passing game.
In the second half, Bengaluru posed no real threat to Antonio Habas' team. With some crucial games coming up, it was all about game management for Habas.
If the first half was all about their attacking flair, the second half was a demonstration of their defensive solidity with the likes of Lenny Rodrigues and Carl McHugh breaking up play and dominating midfield.
Bagan didn't push too many men forward and waited for their opportunities to catch the Bengaluru defence off-guard. Bengaluru had to wait till the 88th minute to have a clear cut chance when Sunil Chhetri tested Bagan keeper Arindam Bhattacharja who was up to it.
They summed up the night where Bagan dominated from start to finish.