Second-placed Pahang fielded a weakened side in their week 18 Super League match against Selangor on Tuesday.
Head coach Dollah Salleh either rested or benched all of their key and foreign players, save for Indonesian attacker Saddil Ramdani. The result was a 5-2 hammering by the hosts at the Shah Alam Stadium, the Elephants' biggest competitive defeat since September 2017.
While the decision was understandable considering the fact that they will head to Ipoh for the second leg of their FA Cup semi-final tie against Perak with a 3-1 lead this weekend, the defeat may just allow league leaders JDT, currently 13 points clear at the top, to capture the 2019 title with three rounds remaining, if they defeat Melaka United on Wednesday.