Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. missed the chance to close the gap at the top of the table in a week of shock results
The latest round of Saudi Pro League fixtures was full of surprises, as we saw another change at the top of the table and a number of the title challengers dropping points in shock circumstances.
The biggest game of the week was the Jeddah derby, as leaders Al-Ittihad took on out-of-form Al-Ahli. It was the latter who came out victorious, however, as Franck Kessie scored the only goal of the game to secure all three points.
Ittihad's defeat allowed Al-Hilal to move back to the top of the table with a win over Al-Akdoud, and they did just that, running out 3-0 victors despite not being able to call upon Neymar, who missed the match to attend the birth of his second child.
Elsewhere, Al-Nassr's winning run ended after 10 matches in all competitions, as they were pegged back by managrless Abha in stoppage-time for a 2-2 draw, though results elsewhere mean Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. are now up to third in the table.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from matchday nine of Saudi Pro League action…
WINNER: Frank Kessie
One of if not the signing of the summer so far in the Pro League, Kessie wrote his name into Al-Ahli folklore as his fierce strike proved to be the winner in their Jeddah derby victory over Al-Ittihad.
The former Barcelona midfielder suffered a head injury early on in Friday's encounter after going down under a challenge from Ittihad defender Luiz Felipe that drew penalty appeals. Those were waved away, but after Kessie was patched up by the medical team, he was able to pick himself up and become the hero.
The Ivorian's goal may also saved his manager, Matthias Jaissle, from the sack, with the ex-Red Bull Salzburg coach having come under increasing pressure in recent weeks. However, the way his team rallied without Merih Demiral and Allan Saint-Maximim to call upon offers hope for the future.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Nuno Espirito Santo
On the other side, Ittihad's defeat has heaped more pressure on manager Nuno Espirito Santo, whose side now find themselves in fourth following their second loss of their title defence already.
Nuno opted to start with a 4-2-4 formation against Al-Ahli, as Karim Benzema was joined up front by Abderrazak Hamdallah, Romarinho and Igor Coronado, and his experiment didn't work. Critics compared it to Luis Enrique's tactical misstep earlier in the week when Paris Saint-Germain were blown away by Newcastle, and it is those critics who are beginning to wonder whether Nuno is the right man for the job.
WINNER: Sergej Milinkovic Savic
Having arrived at Al-Hilal after leading Lazio to a second-placed finish in Serie A last season, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was expected to be one of the star performers in the Pro League. It has not always been plain sailing for the Serbia midfielder so far, however, and he needed a trademark performance to win his new supporters over.
On Saturday against Al-Akhdoud he did just that, scoring twice in a 3-0 win that moves Hilal back to the top of the table as we head into the international break. Milinkovic-Savic stepped up for the team after Neymar was forced to miss the game to attend the birth of his child, and the hope is that this will truly kickstart his campaign.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Steven Gerrard
Results elsewhere over the weekend meant that a win for Al-Ettifaq over Al-Fath would have moved Steven Gerrard's side to within three points of the Pro League summit after an encouraging start to the campaign.
They looked on course to do just that, too, when top scorer Moussa Dembele opened the scoring in the second half, but goals in the 85th and 93rd minutes from the visitors means that Ettifaq head into the international break sat seventh in the table.
