Shanghai SIPG's lead at the top of the Chinese Super League table has shrunk to two points after a goalless draw with Jiangsu Suning in Nanjing last night.

SIPG now has 59 points, two more than defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande, with four more rounds to go. Fabio Cannavaro's Evergrande mauled Beijing Renhe 6-1 in Guangzhou on Saturday. The two teams meet in a pivotal clash in Guangzhou on November 11.

In Nanjing, SIPG's Portuguese manager Vitor Pereira was serving for a three-match ban. Brazil striker Hulk also missed the match due to yellow card accumulation. He was replaced by Uzbekistan midfielder Odil Ahmedov, who partnered Brazilian duo Oscar and Elkeson.

The two sides created a few chances in the first half but could not convert them. SIPG striker Lv Wenjun scored a goal in the 40th minute on Wu Lei's assist, but it was ruled out since Wu was in an offside position when making the pass.

Both Ahmedov's long shot in the 54th and Wu's header in the 57th just missed the target. Suning's attacks were not threatening enough for SIPG goalkeeper Yan Junling, as a result the score remained unchanged until the end.

In a Saturday match, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua was held 1-1 by Tianjin Quanjian at Hongkou Football Stadium.

Lying fourth from bottom, Quanjian showed its eagerness for points from the start. Shenhua goalie Li Shuai's solid performance ensured the hosts kept a clean sheet in the first half.

Quanjian's goal came three minutes after the interval when Yang Xu scored a close-range header on an assist by Huang Yongpo. Shenhua equalized three minutes later when Cao Yunding and Giovanni Moreno stirred the opponent's box. Cao's shot was deflected into the back of the net before touching a Quanjian defender.

Shenhua striker Demba Ba had a one-on-one chance in the 54th but was denied by Quanjian goalie Zhang Lu.

Shenhua manager Wu Jingui said it was a "lucky" one point earned as the team had two regular under-23 starters Zhu Chenjie and Liu Ruofan missing due to national team call-up.

"It took some time for the players to find form. We were lucky to not concede a goal in the first half. We made adjustments for the second half, but the result did not meet our expectation. The team did not show the kind of spirit that they were fighting for three points, and that's what we need to work on," said Wu.

Shenhua is now sixth on 34 points.

In other matches of the round, Shandong Luneng beat Tianjin Teda 2-0. Beijing Guo'an was held to a 1-1 draw by Changchun Yatai. Guizhou Hengfeng defeated Dalian Yifang 3-0. Henan Jianye overcame Guangzhou R&F 2-0.

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