Akpeyi earned Kaizer Chiefs the three points away at their rivals Orlando Pirates in a South Africa Premier Division game on Saturday, February 27. 

It was a complete performance from the Nigerian who made saves after saves to ensure his side went away with the win. 

His first save of the game came in the 14th minute when he made himself so big to prevent Gabadinho Mhango from scoring. It was a fantastic save from Akpeyi who was quick on his feet to jump in front of Mhango.

The biggest moments of the game for Akpeyi came in the 72nd minute when he pulled off three saves to prevent Pirates from drawing level. He first dived well to save an effort from inside the area, then quickly dived again to stop a Pirate player effort from the spill before punching out a third effort which came from inside the area again. 

In the 85th minute, he was impregnable yet again, tipping a goal-bound effort above the post before Chiefs saw out the win to earn their first double over Pirates since 2006. 

He was mobbed by teammates and officials of Chiefs after the game, a testament to the masterclass he just pulled off. 

Akpeyi was everything in that game, his reflexes were sharp, he had a good command of his penalty box and didn’t make any errors all through the game. 

It was the perfect response to the criticisms he had faced just before the game. In truth, he did deserve them. 

Akpeyi made a costly error in Chiefs 2-1 home loss to Maritzburg on Saturday, February 15 and was dropped for the following game. 

Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune who just returned from injury was given the nod in their Nedbank Cup game against Highlands Parks. 

Although Khune wasn’t particularly impressive in that game, there were still calls for Ernst Middendorp to stick with the veteran because while Akpeyi impressed in his absence, there were fears over his tendency for odd-match-costing errors. 

But Middendrop went with Akpeyi and he justified his inclusion with the masterclass that had everyone including Khune applauding the Nigerian goalkeeper. 

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It was a performance that also came at a perfect time when the availability of Khune meant there is now intense competition for the Chiefs’ number one spot. 

Akpeyi has turned things around for himself at Chiefs where he first struggled to make any impact. He since came in as a fantastic cover for Khune and earned himself a new two-year contract. 

Akpeyi’s resurgence hasn’t been just at Chiefs. With the Super Eagles, the 33-year-old is also back in the team as the number one goalkeeper. 

This was impossible to imagine when he became the scapegoat for Nigeria’s loss to Algeria in the semifinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for conceding a last-minute freekick.

He was dropped for the next two games but returned following an injury to Francis Uzoho. While that injury might have been the reason Gernot Rohr considered him again, his form with Chiefs now means he deserves that spot.