Al-Hilal tightened the Saudi Pro League title race by beating Al-Khaleej 2-1 at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, moving within two points of leaders Al-Nassr ahead of their direct clash on May 12, with Sultan Mandash striking late to deliver a decisive away victory.

The match swung several times in the first half. Joshua King put Al-Khaleej ahead after 11 minutes, reacting quickest when a mishit in-swinging corner broke kindly inside the area, before King fired powerfully into the roof of the net to give the hosts an early lead.

Al-Hilal responded just after the half-hour. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic rose to meet a Ruben Neves corner and headed in, a set-piece earned when Theo Hernandez saw a long-range drive pushed around the post, bringing the visitors level and shifting momentum towards Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Milinkovic-Savic briefly seemed to have completed the turnaround. The midfielder found the net again, yet celebrations were cut short when the assistant flagged for offside, ruling the Serbian had mistimed the run and handing Al-Khaleej a lifeline that the home team failed to protect in the closing stages.

The winner arrived on 79 minutes after a major lapse at the back. A loose pass across defence invited pressure and Sultan Mandash anticipated it, stepping in to intercept before poking beyond the goalkeeper, while in added time Karim Benzema thought Al-Khaleej had equalised, only for another offside decision to cancel the effort.

Al-Hilal’s dominance showed clearly in the data. Simone Inzaghi’s team produced 1.65 expected goals from 22 attempts, compared with Al-Khaleej’s 0.63 xG from only six shots. The result also meant Al-Khaleej have dropped 17 points from winning positions in the Saudi League this season, the highest figure of any club.

With Benzema and Salem Al Dawsari named among the substitutes, Milinkovic-Savic carried most of Al-Hilal’s attacking load. The Serbian registered six shots and nine touches inside the box, and also led the contest for duels won, claiming eight of 16 overall and six of eight aerial challenges during a busy midfield display.

The performance keeps Al-Hilal firmly in touch with Al-Nassr before their May 12 meeting, while Al-Khaleej’s latest setback from a winning position underlines recurring defensive issues, as the hosts again struggled to manage pressure late on and allowed costly errors to undo earlier work in the Saudi Pro League contest.