What crisis?! Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are back among the goals: Saudi Pro League winners and losers as superstar forwards rediscover their mojo after slow starts

Not only was Ronaldo's hat-trick on Friday by far his best performance of the season so far following its disappointing beginning, it was arguably the best he has put in since moving to the Middle East in January.

The Portugal superstar was back to his clinical best in front of goal, as gone was the complaining to referees of previous matches, while he also laid on the assist for Mane to open the scoring.

That assist meant this was the first time that Ronaldo had both scored and assisted in the same game for Al-Nassr, and fans will be hopeful this is just the start of a hot streak for their leading man.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's move to Al-Hilal was one of the most surprising arrivals into the Pro League of the summer, given the midfielder had just led Lazio back into the Champions League and has constantly been linked with top European clubs.

Though Neymar has usurped the Serbia international as the biggest name in the squad, the Brazil forward's injury that will keep him out until mid-September means that Milinkovic-Savic is, for now, the player who many on the Al-Hilal team are looking to for a creative spark.

That makes the red card he picked up against Al-Raed on Thursday particularly frustrating, as the 28-year-old lashed out at an opposing defender with headbutt that saw him rightfully dismissed.

It's claimed that the referee's report described Milinkovic-Savic's actions as 'disgraceful behaviour', and he is set to be banned for two matches, meaning he will miss Monday's clash with Al-Ettifaq and, most notably, the 'Saudi Clasico' against defending champions Al-Ittihad on Friday, September 1.

Al-Hilal have appealed their star man's suspension, but at this moment, they will go into the biggest game of the season so far without one of their key players thanks to a rush of blood to the head.

Though Al-Ittihad had won their first two Pro League games of the season, that Benzema was yet to score was notable, particularly given his record against some of the best defences in Europe.

Things started to make a bit more sense on Wednesday, however, when it was reported that manager Nuno wasn't particularly happy with having to select Benzema given his preferred system, while the striker himself was upset at not having been made captain upon his arrival from Real Madrid.

By Thursday evening, though, everything had changed. Having been seen laughing with Nuno on the sidelines ahead of kick-off, Benzema emerged wearing the armband, while any concerns over his lack of goals was quickly allayed when he started and finished a flowing move early in the first half.

Having got his goal, Benzema also looked to make amends with another man who has apparently taken issue with the Frenchman's arrival at the club: last season's top Pro-League scorer, Abderrazak Hamdallah.

When Al-Ittihad were awarded a penalty midway through the first half, Benzema made sure to hand the ball to Hamdallah to take, and the Moroccan duly obliged to score the first of two goals on the night, taking his tally to four from the opening three games to again top the league's early scoring charts.

Having won their opening two games of the season, including a surprise victory over Al-Nassr, Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq were expected to make it three from three when they took on Al-Khaleej - regarded as one of the league's weakest teams - on Thursday.

And despite their opponents only managing two shots on goal all game, Gerrard's side could only manage a 1-1 draw that ended their 100 percent start to the new season.

Dropping points against lowly opposition never feels good, but with a game against presumed title-contenders Al-Hilal now coming up on Monday, that draw could yet be compounded if things don't go well for Gerrard and his players on matchday four.

Despite Milinkovic-Savic's red card, Al-Hilal were able to still run out comfortable winners, in part thanks to another Serbia international who marked his debut for the club with a goal.

Talks to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham have dragged out throughout the summer, and after the ex-Newcastle man threatened to go on strike at Craven Cottage, a £46 million ($58m) deal was eventually agreed between the two clubs last week.

Mitrovic wasted little time in endearing himself to his new fans, either, scoring the kind of bullet header that he has become known for to help his side to victory over Al-Raed.

Mitrovic's goal has already seen him be compared to Bafetimbi Gomis, who is considered to be one of the best foreign imports in Al-Hilal history. The ex-Lyon and Marseille striker also opened his account for the club against Al-Raed before going on to become the club's top-scoring foreign player of all time. That is a record that Mitrovic will be looking to break before too long.

Riyad Mahrez's arrival at Al-Ahli has not been a happy one. Though his team are sat joint-top of table after winning each of their first three games, the Algeria international continues to come under plenty of scrutiny.

Though it was Mahrez's cross that led to Kessie's 98th-minute winner against Al-Ahkdoud, many felt that the ex-Manchester City man has not been the difference-maker that he was expected to be, with some fans describing him as a "local player", suggesting he is not making the same impact as some of the other big-name imports.

Mahrez has been overlooked for both the captaincy and vice-captaincy at Al-Ahli, while he has scored just once in his side's first three games, leading to some concerns as to whether one of the faces of Arabic football is still performing at his best level.

In fairness to Mahrez, he did play some delightful passes on Thursday that his team-mates were unable to take advantage of, and perhaps once they get on the same wavelength as him, his attacking numbers will begin to rise.

Nuno is not the most popular ma with Al-Ittihad fans right now following the reported bust-up with Benzema, while some of his selection decisions have also been questioned as he attempts to balance his side amid the swathe of new arrivals from Europe.

The ex-Tottenham boss was even greeted with boos ahead of his team's win over Al-Riyadh, but after his side ran out 4-0 winners to make it three wins from three, the Portuguese will be hopeful of making those who question him eat their words.

For what it's worth, Nuno described the Benzema reports as "bullsh*t" during his post-match press conference, and insisted that his relationship with all his players is wonderful. It remains to be seen if he can maintain that harmony through the campaign.

Before the recent influx of foreign stars, Anderson Talisca was one of the biggest names among the imports into the Saudi Pro League having become a shining light at Al-Nassr, scoring 45 goals in 62 appearances. The Brazilian forward's time at the club, however, might not be at end if Friday's win over Al-Fateh is anything to go by.

Talisca is set to miss the next couple of games through injury, and in his absence, Luis Castro's side found form for the first time this season. Ronaldo scored three, Mane netted twice, and new €60m (£51.5m/$65m) signing Otavio - who arrived from Porto earlier in the week - put in a superb display.

Factor in the influence of Saudi international Abdulrahman Ghareeb, and it seems that Nassr's forward line might not have a place for Talisca in it. As such, despite having signed a new three-year contract in April, the Brazilian could be moved on in the final weeks of the transfer window.