Win in first classic of the season moves Sporting top of Liga NOS

Sporting turned in a convincing win against the visiting FC Porto this weekend, with three points that puts the team from Alvalade top of Liga NOS.

Jesus set his side out with Bryan Ruiz working the space behind Slimani, when Bruno César and Gelson Martins occupied the space out wide. It was actually FC Porto who made the better start to the encounter, with Felipe netting after 8 minutes. However, Jorge Jesus' side brushed off the early setback and drew level just five minutes later, when Slimani popped up in the right place at the right time to make the most of a Bruno César free-kick ricocheted off the post and out to the big Algerian for his 56th goal in a Sporting shirt.

FC Porto's roaring start soon faded under a mature performance by Jorge Jesus' men right across the park and Gelson scored a second to give Sporting a thoroughly deserved lead. With the hosts dominating possession, the 49,399 fans who had packed out Alvalade saw out a relatively uneventful second-half, with the exception of a baffling sending off for Jorge Jesus and the team doctor Frederico Varandas. However, the blow to the Sporting bench did little to upset the action on the pitch and their was still time for Campbell and Paulista to come off the bench and finish off proceedings with showings that look promising for the coming campaign.