Al Nassr took advantage of their rivals being tied up in the AFC Champions League Elite Finals to go eight points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League following a narrow 1-0 win over Al Ettifaq on Wednesday night.
Al Hilal, in second place, have a game in hand, but Nassr now have a commanding lead at the summit as Jorge Jesus' side edge closer to a first league title since the 2018-19 campaign.
After the game Jesus revealed talisman Cristiano Ronaldo had played through illness. The Portugal veteran failed to find the target but was a threat all the way up to being withdrawn in the closing stages.
Jesus said: “I was thinking of not including him; he wasn't in good shape. He was suffering from stomach pains and a general feeling of fatigue and, when I substituted him, he went straight to the dressing room and threw up.”
Sadio Mane had an early chance cleared off the line, before Al Nassr broke the deadlock on 31 minutes when Kingsley Coman buried the rebound after Marek Rodak had denied Ronaldo.
Ronaldo then hit the woodwork, before Ettifaq posed a threat and former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and ex-Celtic striker Moussa Dembele were both denied by a Bento double save as the visitors looked to hit back.
Ronaldo continued to search for the second but saw another effort cleared off the line, while Joao Felix and Mane missed further opportunities for the hosts.
Those missed chances never looked like being costly, though, as Al Ettifaq's challenge dwindled in the closing stages and they were reduced to 10 men as Jack Hendry saw red for an elbow on Felix.
Ronaldo celebrated the win on social media and praised the Al Nassr fans, as he said: “Great energy in the stands.”
Manager Jesus added: “Today, our stadium was in an exceptional and wonderful atmosphere, and our fans have become more and more convinced of the possibility of achieving the goal, and they gave us tremendous energy throughout the match.
“The players have started to feel that we are approaching the goal – and the fans have also begun to believe that we are close to achieving it.”
Three of Al Nassr's final five SPL matches come against teams directly below them in the table, with home matches against Al Ahli and Al Hilal and a trip to fourth-placed Al Qadsiah.
They first travel to Dubai to face Al Wasl in the AFC Champions League 2 competition on Sunday.
