Al Shehri strike seals Sea Derby win for Al Ittihad

Saleh Al Shehri’s first-half goal was the difference as Al Ittihad emerged 1-0 winners against Al Ahli in the Sea Derby to keep the pressure on Roshn Saudi League leaders Al Hilal at the summit.

Al Ittihad had lost both matches against their Jeddah rivals last season, but manager Laurent Blanc masterminded victory in his maiden derby in the RSL in front of 52,546 fans at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday night.

Scorer of Al Ahli’s winning goal in his debut derby back in April, Franck Kessie had the first sight of goal this time, the midfielder picking up Feras Al Buraikan’s pass and curling with his weaker left foot. However, Al Ittihad goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic was well positioned to make the save.

Deputising for the injured Karim Benzema, Saudi international Al Shehri continued his personal tradition of scoring against Al Ahli, adding his seventh RSL goal against them three, minutes before half-time. The forward, who joined the club from Al Hilal this summer, got on the end of a cross from the right after some exceptional footwork by Moussa Diaby, who recorded his unrivalled 10th assist of the season.

Not long into the second half, the away end braced for celebration when Ali Al Asmari found Ivan Toney with a stellar pass, the England international forward beat Al Ittihad's high line, rounded the goalkeeper and fired towards the back of the net. Yet the summer signing was to be denied by a heroic goal-line clearance from defender Abdulelah Al Amri.

Minutes later, Al Ahli captain Kessie thought he got his second Sea Derby goal in three appearances, pouncing on a loose ball inside the Al Ittihad penally area to drill home from close range, equalising just before the hour mark. Unfortunately for the former AC Milan midfielder, a VAR review showed Kessie had stepped marginally offside, and his goal was ruled out.

Al Ahli continued to push for a leveller and came close once again when Riyad Mahrez set up Kessie on the edge of the Al Ittihad area. The Ivorian side-footed his shot towards the bottom corner, only to be denied by an alert Rajkovic.

Then, deep into added time, Diaby could have made it 2-0 in extraordinary fashion. The French winger embarked on a 70-yard run into the Al Ahli box, placing the ball past goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al Sanbi, but watched the ball cannon back off the base of the upright.

The victory, Al Ittihad’s fifth in a row, means they have collected 24 points from possible 27 in this season's RSL, losing only to Al Hilal in the Saudi Clasico - and now tighten their grip on second place. Meanwhile, Al Ahli continue their inconsistent form under Mathias Jaissle, with a solitary win in their past five RSL matches. Their 11 points picked up so far see them at risk of falling into the bottom half.