Al-Hilal have defeated rivals Al-Shabab 2-0 in the Saudi Pro League’s eighth round on Friday to go top of the standings.
The Blues were heavily criticised in recent weeks for their lacklustre performances that were clouded with rumours of a fallout between Jorge Jesus and Neymar.
The Brazilian superstar was excluded from Al-Hilal’s in their 1-0 victory over second-division outfit Al-Jabalain during the week in the King’s Cup.
However, Neymar was restored to the starting lineup on Friday as Al-Hilal managed to earn a statement victory over Al-Shabab.
Al-Shabab, led by Ever Banega and Yannick Carrasco, made a good impression in the opening minutes and had the first real opportunity of the game with the latter dragging his shot wide in the 14th minute.
Despite a lack of cutting-edge going forward, Al-Hilal thought they were awarded a penalty eight minutes later but the referee went back on his decision after a short VAR review.
Neymar got his first sight of goal in the 30th minute but his left-footed strike was blocked off the line by Al-Shabab to deny the 31-year-old his first goal in Saudi Arabia.
Shot-stopper Kim Seung-gyu was called into action seconds later to keep out Malcom’s strike as Al-Hilal began to intensify their pressure heading into the break.
The home side finally got their penalty in the 35th minute as Al-Hilal skipper Salem Al-Dawsari allowed Neymar to take the spot-kick.
The former Barcelona winger, however, failed to convert from the spot as Al-Shabab’s Seung-gyu pulled off a stunning save to keep his side in the game.
In the second half, Al-Hilal found the breakthrough as Kalidou Koulibaly’s bullet header from a Ruben Neves corner delivery gave the record Asian champions a vital lead in the 68th minute.
Aleksandar Mitrovic later got on the scoresheet and doubled Al-Hilal’s advantage after finishing off a well-constructed move initiated by Neymar.
The Serbian goal machine was lurking at the far post as Neymar dribbled past Al-Shabab defenders before setting him up to hit the ball twice and score the winner.
The victory put Al-Hilal back on track as they went top of the Saudi Pro League table following Al-Ittihad’s stalemate with Al-Fayha.