Jorge Jesus on his side's 3-1 win over Moreirense

Jorge Jesus was understandably pleased after watching his side extend their run of Liga NOS wins to seven.

“Some of the players we used didn't play on Thursday and that brought quality to the team. We scored first, which was really important for us to manage the fatigue. The lads did well, but better at some moments than others. We could have held down possession a bit better. I thought that William and João Mário in the middle would help, but it created a bit of instability. It was a shame for us to concede from a penalty, but football can be like that", opened the Alvalade coach.

Jorge Jesus went on to share his thoughts on Wednesday's Portuguese Cup visit to Braga: "We will of course be feeling confident for our next matches, because we have been winning. There is no reason for us to feel any different with the results we have been getting. Braga is always a hard match and it was like that when I was the coach there as well. It is another difficult match that we will face."

Gelson Martins' reaction after his first goal in Alvalade

Gelson Martins was back on Jorge Jesus' team sheet this Sunday, this time putting in an instrumental performance in his side's 3-1 win against Moreirense. Speaking at the final whistle, the young winger proved happy with having contributed with the first goal of the evening.

“It was an important win. We played well, we scored early and we got our seventh consecutive win. It was my first goal in Alvalade and hopefully I can contribute with more", said Gelson Martins, before speaking about the coming Portuguese Cup encounter with Braga and the league meeting with FC Porto come the new year: "We always play to win, against FC Porto or any other team. The team is feeling confident right now for our next game against Sp. Braga and we will go for win."

Sporting tally 7th consecutive win with strikes from Gelson Martins, Aquilani and Slimani

Sporting breezed to a comfortable 3-1 win against Moreirense this Sunday evening, on Liga NOS matchday 13. Gelson Martins and Aquilani were on target in the first-half, with Slimani bagging the third after the break.

Jorge Jesus' charges quickly set out their stall at the opening whistle, throwing men forward and stretching Moreirense out wide. Esgaio broke down the wing with the first attack of the evening and set up Bryan Ruiz at the edge of the box, but the Costa Rican was unable to keep his shot down. Sporting were determined to find the back of the net early and two minutes later Stefanovic's goal was again under threat, this time with Teo creating space down the left and whipping a dangerous cross into the box that the visiting keeper did well to clear.

Again Sporting pushed forward and again Moreirense could do little but bunker down. A hashed clearance landed at Gelson Martins' feet at the edge of the area, but the young forward put his shot straight at Stefanovic. Next to try his luck was Slimani, after Teo battled back possession high up the pitch, but Stefanovic was again at hand to deny keep the scores blank. Moreirense finally broke a minute before the half-hour mark, when a quickly taken free-kick released Gelson Martins in the area to finally beat the visiting keeper.

The early goal did little to slow the Sporting charge and Moreirense could barely get out of their own half as attacked continued to rain down. Searching for a second, some persistent work from Gelson Martins saw the younger float a cross in for Slimani, but the Algerian's header ended up in the hands of the grateful Stefanovic. However, the save was just delaying the inevitable and on 37 minutes Slimani held down possession deep in opposition territory before picking out Adrien. The Portuguese international spotted the on rushing Aquiliani and the Italian midfielder obliged with a tap in finish to make it 2-0.

The second-half got underway with Moreirense's best chance so far, when Luís Carlos put in a dangerous cross that the Alvalade defence did well to turn away. Sporting responded with a third goal, this time from the penalty spot after Slimani was brought down in the area. The Algerian himself took the spot kick and although his initial effort was stopped by Stefanovic, the imposing striker reacted well to convert on the rebound.

Although trailing by three, Moreirense responded with some attacking play of his own and were only denied by a fantastic save by Rui Patrício after a shot by Boateng. However, the Portuguese international keeper could do nothing to extend his streak of clean sheets when Rafael Martins converted on a penalty. The goal boosted the visitors' morale and a handful of attacks followed, but Patrício was proving to be in impervious form and pulled off another fine stop.

João Mário had a chance late on from range, but his shot was kept out by Stefanovic. Another win for Sporting - the seventh consecutive in the league - and another three points to keep Jorge Jesus' side at the top of the table.

Nuno Almeida for Liga NOS matchday 13

Nuno Almeida, 40, from the Algarve Football Association, has been named to take charge of Liga NOS matchday 13, between Sporting and Moreirense.

Paulo Ramos and Pais António will act as linesmen.

Sporting-Moreirense will kick off at 18h15 on Sunday, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus' pre-match press conference ahead of Moreirense

While accepting that his team is flying high right now following Thursday's Europa League win, Jorge Jesus cautioned to the danger posed by the visiting Moreirence this Sunday.

“It is another game on top of a midweek game for us. The team is feeling good, because winning if of course the best remedy. The lads are on a high right now and tomorrow will be business as usual for us: a defensively oriented team, who have already taken points off one of our competitors. It will be difficult to find space as it always is and we will see is we have the capacity going forward to score", opened the Alvalade boss, adding: “Sometimes the games you would think are easier are actually harder. You just can't predict it and if we did then we would all be bet. Our league is really competitive, but all that matters is that we defend first place, regardless of who we play against."

Revealing that Ewerton will be included in the squad, Jesus highlighted that consistency will be the key in the run at the end of the season: "What determines the league are the last matches of the season, that is where the winner is decided. Of course to get to the end of the season with a chance you have to win now. Right now we are in first and the squad is feeling really confident. We deserve to be in first and now we want to defend that position."

To finish, the Sporting coach responded to a question on what is the best squad he has worked with to date, as well as Thursday's Europa League win against Besiktas.

“The situation here at Sporting is new for me and for the players. Everyone is really excited about what we are doing, but we have to carry on growing and I believe that we will be even better in the second half of the season. The players have shown a great level of intelligence and it has been a pleasant surprise. With my way of training, intelligence is really important. The way we work needs the players to make use of different resources beyond just simple quality. I honestly am really surprised at how far we have come in such a short time."

“(Besiktas) was a really important game for us in the Europa League and I didn't think we would keep our cool the way we did. If we can have the stadium tomorrow the way it was on Thursday, it would be the best way to help the team win."

Sporting-Moreirense will get underway on Sunday the 13th of December at 18h15, in Estádio José Alvalade.

Jorge Jesus on his side's win in Estádio dos Barreiros

Speaking in a flash interview, Jorge Jesus proved satisfied with his side's win in Madeira this weekend.

“Marítimo are strong and they showed that today. They are a well worked team both technically and tactically. They are one of the hardest teams in the league, especially here in Estádio dos Barreiros. We knew it would be a hard game and we had to be really competitive. We had to take our chances and it is really important to score first against teams like this. We played like a team, we defended well and that gives confidence. FC Porto had already drawn here this season, so in theory we have won two points that our competition didn't", said the Sporting coach at the final whistle.

With the season turning into a tantalising race for top spot going into the Christmas break, Jesus noted his surprise with his side's campaign fo far. "Sporting are in first and we want to defend that. We didn't expect to be, in fact we expected to be behind Benfica and FC Porto, but we are in front and we want to stay there. The pressure of our rivals winning didn't get to the lads and we just have to focus on our own games, which is what we did. It wasn't a pretty game, but we have to use our strengths and that is what we are doing."

Adrien on Sporting's win against Marítimo

The Alvalade skipper scored a crucial goal in Madeira this weekend, securing a typically difficult three points from Marítimo.

“We knew that this trip is always really hard, but we held out and we controlled the game. We got our reward in the end. We could have lost first place, but that didn't happen and the team did well. We showed our character and we trusted in ourselves. We got the result we wanted and we will carry on", said Adrien at the final whistle, adding: "This is a team that does its best, that works hard and that makes sacrifices to be at the top of the league."

Adrien strike and Rui Patrício heroics guarantee three points in Madeira

A 53rd minute strike from Adrien helped Sporting to an important three points in Madeira this weekend, in a 1-0 win against Marítimo.

In search of a sixth consecutive league win and also a sixth against Marítimo, Sporting started the encounter well, but it became quickly apparent that the afternoon's task would be no easy one. To their credit, the evening's hosts were willing to get forward and battled hard for possession. Marega started a good move for Marítimo down the right, before Sporting responded with two chances in the first ten minutes. First it was Gelson Martins bursting down the flank and setting up João Mário in the box, but the midfielder was unable to keep his shot on target. Next Montero threatened after taking advantage of a defensive mistake, but the Colombian's effort finished wide of the mark.

The midfield battle for control sapped much of the quality out of the encounter, with passes going astray for both sides. Well orchestrated pressure by the hosts also kept Sporting on a defensive footing. A move down the right in the 14th minute finished with a corner for Marítimo picking ou Marega completely isolated at the far post, but a brilliant stop by Rui Patrício kept the scores blank. A couple of minutes later Marítimo had another dangerous corner, but Fransérgio's header was off target.

Sporting responded in kind and it wasn't long before the pressure began punching gaps in the Marítimo lines. João Mário broke away down the right and dragged a cross back for Adrien, who picked out Bryan Ruiz at the edge of the box. The Costa Rican drove a powerful shot goalwards, but Salin defended and the sides went in deadlocked at the break.

The interval worked wondered for Jorge Jesus' side, who come out fighting and were soon rewarded for their persistence. A brilliant bit of teamwork down the right saw João Pereira link up with Bryan Ruiz, before the Costa Rican released João Mário who skillfully found space and set up an unstoppable strike from Adrien.

Sporting kept up the pressure and Gelson Martins continued to rain down havoc on the Marítimo defence, himself firing a shot over the bar in the 58th minute. Some calculated counters from the hosts could well have done damage, but some mature defending by the team from Alvalade kept chances to a minimum. With the clock ticking down, their was still time for Rui Patrício to pull off one of his usually heroic saved and ensure that the three points returned to continental Portugal.

Jorge Jesus shares his thoughts on the weekend's trip to Madeira

Jorge Jesus sat down with the press on Friday afternoon, ahead of his side's visit to Madeira to take on Marítimo, where FC Porto has already dropped points this season.

“We are expecting a game typical of this league, on a difficult pitch against a team where one of our rivals has already drawn. It will be a hard game against a team that will want to win points against a Sporting that doesn't want to lose any in Barreiros. We will see if we are capable of overcoming what they will throw at us, but I am sure that we are", opened Jorge Jesus, adding: "Marítimo are always a hard team to face away. They always have a competitive side and this year is no different. We will have to be careful against a team that are really aggressive."

Speaking more specifically about his team and faced with the suspension of Slimani, Jesus commented: "Strategically Slimani being out doesn't change much, although he is different to our other forwards. We have had a few matchday without him, like in Moscow. Jefferson is back in the squad and we will see how he is when we get to Madeira. Teo has a little bit of an injury and it isn't easy to say 100% what is wrong, but he will adjust with him.”

To finish, Jorge Jesus touched on the legal process being instigated by Benfica: "I don't really want to speak about that. What matters is to focus on what is happening right now and Sporting's future. When I have to speak about our rivals it is when we face them on the pitch, which we have already three times this season."

Marítimo-Sporting will kick-off at 20h45 on the 5th of December, in Estádio do Marítimo, Barreiros.

Liga NOS matchday 15 at 20h45 on the 2nd of January

Sporting will host FC Porto, on Liga NOS matchday 15, at 20h45 on Saturday the 2nd of January, in Estádio José Alvalade.

The coming fixtures are as follows:

- 5th of December (Saturday, 20h45): Marítimo-Sporting, Liga NOS matchday 12

- 10th of December (Thursday, 20h05): Sporting-Besiktas, Liga NOS matchday 6

- 13th of December (Sunday, 18h15): Sporting-Moreirense, Liga NOS matchday 13

- TBC: Sp. Braga-Sporting, Portuguese Cup last-16

- 20th of December (Sunday, 18h15): U. Madeira-Sporting, Liga NOS matchday 14

- TBC: Sporting-P. Ferreira, League Cup matchday 1