Cristiano Ronaldo's title dreams are hanging by a thread already! Saudi Pro League winners and losers as Al-Hilal's Serbian stars settle top-of-the-table clash - but there's more misery for Steven Gerrard

If Al-Nassr were to become the first team to beat Al-Hilal in the Pro League this season, they needed their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to step up and lead the way. However, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner struggled to impose himself on the game as he cut a frustrated figure.

Ronaldo struggled with the physicality of Hilal's Saudi international defender Ali Albulayhi (much like Lionel Messi did in the 2022 World Cup) and spent much of the game complaining to Colombian referee Wilmar Rondan as he looked for a decision that would change the complexion of the contest.

As it was, three second-half goals condemned Nassr to their first loss in 21 games, and leaves them facing an uphill task to win the Pro League title as they look to bridge the seven-point gap which has now opened up at the summit.

Though it was Neymar who stole the majority of the headlines when it came to Al-Hilal's summer signings, a number of their other new arrivals have stepped up in the absence of the injured Brazilian, and none more so than their Serbian duo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

The pair shared all three goals in Hilal's win over Al-Nassr on Friday, with Milinkovic-Savic heading in the opener midway through the second half before Mitrovic added some gloss to the scoreline with a late double.

The former Fulham striker has now scored 20 goals in as many games since arriving in Saudi Arabia, including 13 in the Pro League, which puts him just two strikes behind Ronaldo in what has become an intriguing Golden Boot race.

Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, insists that he is "not even in my best shape yet", but the way the ex-Lazio star controlled the midfield against Nassr suggested otherwise. With he and Mitrovic in fine form, it's difficult to imagine Hilal throwing away their seven-point advantage at the top of the table.

Benzema cannot catch a break this season, it seems. Just as the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner looked primed to finally kickstart his Al-Ittihad career under new manager Gallardo, the striker suffered an injury that, while not serious, is yet another frustrating chapter to add to his Pro League story.

The former France striker limped off after 32 minutes against Al-Khaleej on Thursday and was clearly tearful as he left the pitch just three minutes after doubling his side's lead from the penalty spot in their 4-2 victory.

Fortunately, it seems that he will only be out for around 10 days, though that does put his chances of playing in Ittihad's first-round Club World Cup match against Auckland City on December 12 in jeopardy.

He's only been in charge for three matches, but already the Al-Ittihad fans are chanting the name of their new manager Gallardo. The Argentine has overseen two wins and a draw since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo, but the early signs are that the defending champions are starting to find their best levels once more.

Spirits are high, then, as Ittihad look ahead to the Club World Cup, where they are aiming to at least emulate Al-Hilal's achievement of reaching the final in 2022, where the Saudi side succumbed to Real Madrid in a 5-3 thriller.

Gerrard took the Al-Ettifaq manager's job in a bid to restore his reputation following his sacking by Aston Villa, but things are only getting worse for the former Liverpool midfielder after another terrible result on Saturday.

Ettifaq were beaten 1-0 by Al-Akhdoud, who kicked-off the game inside the bottom three and who had won just three matches previously in the campaign. The loss means Gerrard's side are now winless in their last five in all competitions, scoring just once in that run, as their last victory was now over a month ago.

Despite a summer of relatively big-spending, they remain seventh in the Pro League table, and are now closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top two in terms of points. With games against fifth-placed Al-Taawoun and second-placed Al-Nassr to come before the winter break, things are unlikely to get any easier for Gerrard, either.

Gabri Veiga raised a lot of eyebrows when he opted to reject Napoli for a big-money move to Al-Ahli at the age of 21, and things haven't gone particularly well for the Spanish youngster since his arrival in the Middle East.

His poor form has even led to reports that he could return to Europe in January, but if Thursday's performance against Abha is anything to go by, then Veiga might finally be finding his feet in his new surroundings.

The forward scored two and assisted two more in Ahli's 6-0 away win that means they remain third in the table, and are now just four points behind second-placed Al-Nassr. If Veiga can maintain this form the rest of the way, then Matthias Jaissle's side will fancy their chances of catching Ronaldo and co.