Beijing Guoan stormed back into Chinese Super League title contention with an emphatic 2-1 away win over Shanghai Shenhua on Friday night.
Shenhua, who lost lethal striker Kim Shin-Wook to injury during the international break, again failed to shake off the wretched form that has dogged them in recent outings and seen them slump down to 12th place after a third straight defeat.
Bruno Genesio's side, on the other hand, nailed their title aspirations firmly to the mast as they moved to the top of the table on 64 points after 28 games, one clear of second-placed Guangzhou Evergrande who have a game in hand.
Cedric Bakambu broke the deadlock for Guoan with a firm header in the opening minutes at the Hongkou Stadium before Odion Ighalo equalized from the penalty spot after the interval.
Beijing Guoan's Cedric Bakambu celebrates after scoring against Shanghai Shenhua at the Hongkou Stadium, November 22, 2019. /VCG Photo
However, the capital club showed remarkable strength of character to secure a morale-boosting win on the hour mark when captain Renato Augusto slotted Bakambu's low cross past Li Shuai in the Shenhua goal.
Elsewhere, Shandong Luneng extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 2-0 home victory against Chongqing Siwei as both Graziano Pelle and Roger Guedes got themselves on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, Wuhan Zall moved into sixth place with a 2-1 win over Guangzhou R&F at the Wuhan Five Rings Sports Center. Liu Yun put the hosts ahead with a brilliant free kick and doubled their lead with another crisp finish before Gui Hong bagged the consolation goal for the visitors.