Asamoah Gyan celebrated after scoring the equalizer for Shanghai SIPG.

Shanghai SIPG beat city rival Greenland Shenhua 2-1 in a Chinese Super League derby at Hongkou Football Stadium last night.

The victory helped SIPG to regain top spot in the CSL standings from defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande. Evergrande had temporarily gone top with its 4-2 victory over the third top-tier local team, Shanghai Shenxin, on Friday. SIPG now has 52 points, one more than Evergrande. Shandong Luneng is third on 46, followed by Beijing Guo'an (44).

It was a second clash between the two teams within a week after Greenland Shenhua eliminated SIPG on penalties in the CFA Cup quarterfinals last Wednesday.

Shenhua won a penalty in the 17th minute when SIPG defender Cai Huikang blocked a Cao Yunding shot with his hand in the box. Tim Cahill was on target from the spot.

SIPG's equalizer came in the 64th. Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan received a pass from teammate Dario Conca in the box, and sent the ball through Shenhua's two-man defense and goalie Geng Xiaofeng into the net.

Seven minutes later, SIPG took the lead when Conca's freekick deflected off Mohamed Sissoko's arm into goal. The visitors could have added more in the closing minutes but for Geng's heroics.

Shenhua's Senegal striker Demba Ba was suspended for the match due to a foul he committed in an earlier league clash against Evergrande.

SIPG head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was happy with his team's "professional" performance in the second half. With six rounds left, the Swede did not hide the team's lofty ambitions.

"Eighteen points, that's a lot. If the team can keep playing the way they did in the second half of today's game, we can do it. We're going to do everything to try to win every game. The spirit in our team is fantastic. We are going to try (for the championship), but it will be difficult."

Eriksson's counterpart Francis Gillot said Ba's absence had weakened his team. "A game like this can be decided or changed by key players. (SIPG's) Gyan and Conca are certainly those kinds of players," the Frenchman said.

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