Age is just a number for Cristiano Ronaldo! Saudi Pro League winners and losers as Al-Nassr's veteran superstar steps up again - but the end is nigh for Nuno Espirito Santo at Al-Ittihad, and Steven Gerrard could yet follow him in exiting Al-Ettifaq

Given the underwhelming displays that some of the Pro League's summer imports have put in since their arrival, it is certainly worth noting just how dominant Ronaldo has been thus far in 2023-24.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner proved to be difference for Al-Nassr once again on Saturday, as he opened the scoring with a superb long-range strike against Al-Khaleej for his 400th goal since turning 30, before providing the assist for Aymeric Laporte to seal the points in the second half.

Ronaldo has now netted 12 league goals so far this season - at least three more than any other player - and has helped carry Nassr on a 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They may remain four points adrift of the leaders, but with the Portuguese legend in this form, don't bet against them celebrating a title win in May.

Just when it seemed like things couldn't get any worse for Al-Ittihad manager Nuno, he saw his side slip to a 1-0 defeat against mid-table Al-Shadab that stretches their winless run in the league to five games.

The former Tottenham boss has been coming under increasing pressure in recent weeks amid reports of him falling out with his players in the wake of their poor results, and if Friday's game is anything to go by, things are unlikely to improve any time soon.

The defending champions already look like they need a miracle to even challenge for the title, never mind win it, and it feels like the only thing keeping Nuno from the sack is just how close the upcoming Club World Cup is, with the Ittihad decision-makers keen to avoid instability ahead of the competition.

Fresh from being named Asian Player of the Year earlier in the week, Salem Al-Dawsari was keen to celebrate his success in Al-Hilal's game against Al-Fateh on Friday, and though he had to wait until late on, the forward did just that.

Al-Dawsari, who is regarded as the most talented Saudi player of his generation, is being required to step up and play an even bigger role than expected for Hilal following Neymar's likely season-ending injury, and it was he who secured victory in second-half stoppage-time on Matchday 12 after Aleksandar Mitrovic had opened the scoring from the penalty spot inside the opening five minutes.

Though his goal didn't come until late, this was another virtuoso performance from Al-Dawsari, and despite the influx of talent from Europe, he still profiles as one of the biggest stars of the Pro League.

Everything was set up for Al-Ettifaq to enjoy a memorable night on Sunday. Steven Gerrard's club were holding the official opening of their brand-new stadium as they hosted Al-Raed, who sit bottom of the table and had lost eight of their 11 games heading into the fixture.

However, with star striker Moussa Dembele still out with an injury, Gerrard's team failed to break down their visitors and were made to settle for a 0-0 draw which keeps them down in seventh and four points off the top four.

Ettifaq have now won just one of their last six league games and were knocked out of the King's Cup by Al-Nassr in midweek. As one of the league's biggest summer spenders, that should be concerning for Gerrard in terms of his long-term job prospects.

Before the summer of 2023, one of the more exciting foreign players within the Pro League was Al-Shadab forward Carlos Junior. The Brazilian scored 25 goals across the last two seasons having previously plied his trade in Portugal, but suddenly looks a far less impressive player now the league is filled with global superstars.

His opportunity to establish himself at the level of his new peers was hurt by an injury that ruled him out of the first six games of the season, and it has taken Carlos Junior time to get back up to speed as a result.

But after scoring his first goal of the season with the winner for Shadab over Al-Ittihad, there is hope that the 28-year-old can rediscover his best form and fire his club towards the upper echelons of the table after their own tough start to the campaign.

It's been a long time coming, but on Sunday it finally happened, as Roberto Firmino was dropped to the bench by Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle. The ex-Liverpool star may have opened the season with a hat-trick on his Pro League debut, but has endured 11 goalless games since in all competitions amid some pretty dispiriting displays.

What will concern Firmino even more than his initial benching is the performance of his replacement, Firas Al-Buraikan, who scored one and assisted another for Gabri Veiga as Ahli ran out easy 3-0 winners over Al-Riyadh to move up to fourth-place in the table.