A second-half strike from Souleymane Diabate powered a 10-man Mohammedan SC to a 1-0 win over holders Bashundhara Kings in their Bangladesh Premier League encounter at Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla today.

With back-to-back wins, the Black and Whites are top of the table with six points along with Rahmatganj MFS who also beat Chittagong Abahani 2-0 in Mymensingh today.

The tie between defending champions Kings and reigning runners-up Mohammedan was very crucial to lay an early foundation in the title race as both teams are considered title contenders. The Motijheel-based outfits came out successful even after their goalkeeper received a red card in the first half.

The incident took place in the 21st minute, when Kings striker Rakib Hossain was in a one-on-one situation against Mohammedan keeper Sujon Hossain, who advanced forward and fouled the player just outside the box.

The referee gave Sujon his marching orders and Mohammedan subbed in their reserve keeper Sakib Al Hasan, who did well and kept a cleansheet for his side.

The lone goal of the match came from a counterattack, when Rahimuddin sent down a long ball for the experienced Diabate, who easily beat Kings' goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon in the 58th minute of the game.

Mohammedan also beat Kings in the first meeting of the last edition of the BPL.