Ollie Watkins scored his first goal for Al Hilal since his big-money move from Aston Villa, while Cristiano Ronaldo set another benchmark for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
The two Riyadh clubs sit top of the table, with a maximum of 12 points from four games. Hilal just edge Nassr on goal difference, but both clubs have put down early markers of their title credentials.
With the Saudi Arabia transfer window still open until September 6, expect some more new arrivals in the top flight before Sunday's deadline.
We take a look at the main talking points ahead of Matchday 5.
Watkins could be the missing piece for Hilal
OK, maybe there is a bit of knee-jerking there. After all, Watkins touched down in Riyadh only last weekend.
Simone Inzaghi opted to start his new £50 million recruit on the bench against Al Ahli Saudi on Tuesday.
Hilal led 2-0 through Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Crysencio Summerville, but when Ahli were reduced to 10 men in first-half injury time, Inzaghi decided the conditions were right for Watkins' introduction.
The Italian has been criticised for negative tactics during his time at the club, but judging by the way Hilal have blitzed their opponents in their first four games, he seems bent on addressing that.
Watkins got his goal in the 86th minute, heading in a Sultan Mandash cross. The game was already won, but the message was clear: Hilal have the firepower to blow any team away.
"Of course, I am very happy with the level and the technical performance the team produced, and I offer my congratulations to all the players, one by one, for this contribution," Inzaghi told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat post-match.
Hilal missed out on the title last term despite going the whole domestic season unbeaten. Inzaghi has looked to address what he has seen as deficiencies in his squad.
Malcom, a mainstay of the team, was jettisoned; the Brazilian winger's contract was terminated. So too was Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner.
Both have already featured and scored for Hilal this season. Malcom has a new club, while Benzema might be the most high-profile player on the market seeking employment.
Summerville and Watkins have been recruited at considerable cost, while Gabriel Martinelli's €70m move is expected to be confirmed in the coming days, though it may not come in time for him to be eligible for Friday's game at Al Shabab.
Hilal have already scored 15 goals in four games; the arrivals of Watkins and Martinelli add even more quality to a star-studded squad.
More ominous for the rest of the league was Inzaghi's warning that his team will only improve as new arrivals familiarise themselves with their teammates.
"Our level will improve and develop noticeably in the coming matches, and we are very happy with the excellent atmosphere and the great interaction with our fans today."
Al Ahli's September struggles
Tuesday's match was billed as Ollie Watkins v Ivan Toney. The two England teammates lined up on opposite sides, but it was clear who left Kingdom Arena happier.
Ahli registered only two shots on target and were 2-0 down after only 23 minutes. Although Demiral's sending-off didn't help matters, it wasn't the sole reason they were so soundly beaten.
Toney's numbers are a match for anybody. Since joining from Brentford in 2024, the 31-year-old has scored 59 goals in 66 games. He already has four this season, so there's little suggestion he has fallen off the pace.
The bigger issue seems to be turnover and fatigue. Matthias Jaissle, the German coach who led the Jeddah club to back-to-back Asian Champions League titles, has gone, as have the experienced Riyad Mahrez and Franck Kessie.
As champions of Asia, Ahli are the continent's representatives in the Fifa Intercontinental Cup. The game against Hilal was rescheduled so Ahli could play Auckland on August 26. They face African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria on September 19.
Before then, they face Al Riyadh in a league game on Friday and Al Qadsiah four days later. Al Hazem are their opponents on September 11, before they begin their AFC Champions League title defence at home to Pakhtakor the following Monday.
September is a month in which Ahli have traditionally struggled. It's been 10 years since they won their first match in the ninth month of a league campaign.
Marino Pusic is still getting to grips with his squad and must be afforded time. To add to his woes, his translator received a red card during the defeat to Hilal, meaning the translator was unavailable to interpret for the Dutch-Bosnian coach, forcing the league to cancel the coach's post-match press conference.
Ahli are already six points off the pace in the league table, sitting seventh. They've lost their past two matches, and with a congested programme before the international break, they need to arrest their slump before the gap becomes too big to bridge.
Ronaldo goes from zero to hero
Cristiano Ronaldo is never far from the headlines.
The knives were out for the Al Nassr striker following their league match against Al Ettifaq on August 25.
Ronaldo was unhappy at being substituted during the game, and he showed it. An angry Ronaldo snubbed the Nassr staff as he took his place on the bench. With Ronaldo on the pitch, Nassr trailed 2-0. With him off, they won 3-2. Cue the calls of discord between him and coach Ange Postecoglou.
What seemed to be overlooked was the obvious. The substitution happened a minute into the restart of the second half. Ronaldo's reaction appeared more to do with the timing than the decision, although no doubt he took issue with that as well.
Why make him come out for the second half only to replace him 60 seconds later? It's embarrassing for any player to suffer that ignominy, let alone a five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Fast forward three days and all was soon forgotten.
Al Nassr kicked off the second half of their game against Al Taawoun with the score level at 1-1. With 50 minutes on the clock, they led 2-1.
Of course, it was Ronaldo who scored. To be fair, Mohammed Simakan's goal-bound effort didn't need Ronaldo's flick, but when a man on a mission for 1,000 goals eyes an easy one, he's not going to let the chance go begging.
It was his 104th goal in the Saudi Pro League, making him Al Nassr's leading scorer in the competition ahead of Mohammed Al Sahlawi.
The win took Nassr top of the table on 12 points, although they now sit second following Hilal's victory over Ahli.
The title-holders, who are away to Al Ittihad on Saturday, are showing they won’t be giving up the trophy without a fight.
“Step by step,” Ronaldo said. “We didn't start the game very well, but we scored, we draw. And, after the second half, we play good; we reacted very well. The team play better, more fast. We create chances and we deserve to win.”
Harmony restored in the Nassr dressing room, at least until Ronaldo's next flashpoint.
Fixtures
All kick-offs UAE time
Thursday
Al Fayha v Al Kholood, 7.55pm
Neom v Al Khaleej, 8.30pm
Diriyah v Al Qadsiah, 10pm
Friday
Abha v Al Ettifaq, 8pm
Al Ahli Saudi v Al Riyadh, 10pm
Al Shabab v Al Hilal, 10pm
Saturday
Al Faisaly v Al Hazem, 7.50pm
Al Taawoun v Al Fateh, 7.55pm
Al Ittihad v Al Nassr, 10pm
