Guangzhou Evergrande extended their lead in the Chinese Super League with a 5-1 thumping of Jiangsu Sainty on Sunday.
Brazilian striker Muriqui starred with a second-half hat-trick after Argentinean Dario Conca and China international Jiang Ning had given Evergrande the upper hand at Tianhe Stadium.
Qu Cheng scored a consolation goal for Jiangsu, who remain two points behind fourth-placed Guangzhou R&F.
The win moved Evergrande, led by Italian World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi, four points clear of Beijing Guoan in second.
Elsewhere, Qu Bo and Yang Yihu both struck twice as Guizhou Renhe recorded a 5-0 win over Hangzhou at Guiyang Olympic Sports Center.
Qu netted in the 20th minute before doubling his tally and Guizhou’s advantage on the stroke on half-time.
Bosnian Zlatan Muslimovic added a third on 64 minutes followed by Yang’s brace in the late stages.
The result ended Hangzhou’s four-game winning streak, while Guizhou climbed to sixth, one point behind Changchun Yatai.
At Jinshan Soccer Stadium, Shanghai Shenxin and Dalian Shide played out a 1-1 draw.
Bulgarian Martin Kamburov scored for Dalian in the 26th minute before Yang Jiawei equalised soon after.
