Al-Hilal hand Steven Gerrard his first defeat, while Benzema injury mars Al-Ittihad win

Al-Hilal defeated Ettifaq 2-0 on Monday to move into second place in the Roshn Saudi League and hand manager Steven Gerrard his first defeat in Saudi Arabia.

League leaders Al-Ittihad maintained their 100 percent start to the season with a 3-0 victory at Al-Wehda, though there was some concern for the Tigers when star striker Karim Benzama limped off injured, just four days before the top two will meet in what seems set to be a titanic clash, even at this early stage of the season.

First-half goals from Malcom and Salem Al-Dawsari gave 18-time champions Al-Hilal what was ultimately a comfortable win and a healthy 10 points from their first four games of the season. Ettifaq, captained by Jordan Henderson, had picked up seven points from their first three league games under Gerrard but never looked like leaving with anything this time.

Central defender Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made their first starts in the league since arriving at Al-Hilal from Chelsea and Sevilla respectively, and looked comfortable.

The real damage, though, was done further up the pitch. Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic have already established quite the connection in Riyadh and it was on display for all to see in the 10th minute, when a cross from ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers star Neves from the right side was inch perfect, though the powerful header from former Fulham forward Mitrovic was not quite so good and it bounced back off the bar.

Mitrovic turned provider 14 minutes later as the hosts took the lead. Rising on the edge of the area, he headed a right-sided throw into the path of Malcom. The Brazilian, signed during the summer from Zenit, let the ball bounce before hammering a shot into the opposite bottom corner,