Move over Karim Benzema - Aleksandar Mitrovic is the king of the Clasico! Saudi Pro League winners and losers as Al-Hilal end Al-Ittihad's perfect start while Cristiano Ronaldo keeps Al-Nassr on an upward trajectory

Though the majority of fans at King Abdullah Sport City on Friday were there to see Al-Ittihad's star No.9, Karim Benzema, in action, is the was the striker on the opposition who stole the show, as Aleksandar Mitrovic truly announced himself in the Pro League with a superb hat-trick for Al-Hilal.

Having netted a stunning first-half equaliser with a brilliant volley, Mitrovic netted twice more after the break to haul Al-Hilal back into the contest, taking his tally to four goals from his opening three games.

If this is what the Serbia international is doing now, just imagine what he will be capable of once Neymar is fit and creating the opportunities for Mitrovic. The new league leaders have a genuine Golden Boot contender on their hands.

When Benzema limped off against Al-Wehda on matchday four, there were many who presumed the ex-Real Madrid man would miss Friday's Clasico, and so there was understandable relief when his named appeared on the teamsheet for Al-Ittihad's clash with Al-Hilal.

And that relief turned to joy midway through the first half, as Benzema scored a superb backheel goal to give his side a 2-1 lead as they looked to make it five wins from five to start the campaign.

From there, though, things went awry. While Mitrovic was scoring pretty much every chance that came his way at the other end, both Benzema and strike partner Abderrazak Hamdallah missed a number of opportunities that could have changed the course of the result.

While Mitrovic deservedly took the headlines after Al-Hilal's thrilling victory, the team were just as much indebted to their new goalkeeper, as Yassine Bounou wasted little time in staking a claim to be the best shot-stopper in the division.

Having arrived from Sevilla, the Morocco international made a number of saves during the Clasico, though he saved his best for last in Jeddah, rushing off his line to save with his chest to preserve all three points.

In a league where most of the big-name signings have been attackers, Al-Hilal may have pulled off a real coup by bringing in a top-quality 'keeper for just €21 million (£18m/$22.7m).

For all the Al-Hilal celebrations, concerns remain over the form of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who many expected to dominate the Pro League after the starring role he played for Lazio as they finished runners-up in last season's Serie A.

Instead, the Serbia international has already been sent off once, and against Al-Ittihad he made what could have proved to be a costly error, with his poor pass leading to the home side's third goal that could have put the game out of sight if not for Mitrovic's heroics.

Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves were meant to form the most formidable midfield in the Pro League after being paired together by Jorge Jesus, but right now the former is letting the side down.

After two games without a win, Al-Ettifaq got back on the horse with a 3-1 win over Damac as Moussa Dembele shone for the first time since his arrival at the club. The ex-Lyon and Celtic striker scored twice in the first half to give Steven Gerrard's side control of the game which they never relinquished as they moved to within three points of the league leaders.

Credit, too, must go to Jordan Henderson, who assisted both of Dembele's goals from midfield as the former Liverpool captain begins to find his own groove in the Middle East.

With Al-Ittihad losing on Friday, Al-Ahli knew that a win for them over Al-Fateh 24 hours later would take them clear at the top of the table as the only side left with a 100% record. To say they spurned that chance would be an understatement.

Though Matthias Jaissle's side took an early lead through Gabri Veiga's first goal since joining from Celta Vigo, they were all over the place in defence, and proceeded to ship five goals to a team who had previously won just one of their opening four games of the season.

Ahli conceded three penalties over the course of the game, all of which were scored, while centre-back Merih Demiral was sent off in the 14th minute of stoppage-time to compound a miserable match.

With games against co-leaders Al-Taawoun and a resurgent Al-Nassr to come immediately after the international break, Jaissle will have to help his team recover quickly from the shock of such a heavy defeat.

A round-up of the weekend's Pro League action isn't complete without checking in on Ronaldo, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner continued his excellent recent form by scoring one goal - the 850th of his remarkable career - and assisting two more in Al-Nassr's 5-1 demolition of Al-Hazm.

Ronaldo is now both the top scorer and top assister in the league so far this season despite only playing four games, while his side are the joint-top scorers with 15 goals from five matches despite having lost their opening two.

Defeats for the leaders meant they were also able to close the gap on the top of the table, and the concerns that shrouded them a fortnight ago now feel like a lost memory.