Porto showed their class in a comfortable 1-0 win in Arouca.
It was all Dragons, the visitors finding the breakthrough in the 44th minute when Iván Marcano headed home a cross from Otávio.
Pepe was strong once again as Arouca never threatened Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper enjoying a stress free evening.
Porto keep the gap behind Benfica to four points with three matches remaining.
One way traffic
It was all Porto early on with Galeno heavily involved down the left wing. They went close after a beautiful team move in the 11th minute resulted in Mehdi Taremi’s lob bouncing off the bar.
The chances kept coming with Galeno’s shot tipped wide by Ignacio de Arruabarrena and Stephen Eustáquio’s effort deflected over the bar.
Marcano breaks the deadlock
Arouca almost held on until the break before Porto finally broke through in the 44th minute. It was a simple goal, Otávio’s cross headed home by Iván Marcano at the back post.
Arouca started the second half well but their finishing was leaving a lot to be desired, Alan Ruiz and Bohdan Milovanov going closer to hitting the corner flag than the target.
Arouca toothless
Armando Evangelista made two changes in the 63rd minute when Bohdan Milovanov and Ismaila Soro made way for Arsénio and Benji Michel. It made no difference.
Otávio saw his shot saved and Taremi forced a save from Arruabarrena as Porto cruised to the finish line.
Arouca’s lead in the race for fifth spot is hanging by a thread, Vitória de Guimarães breathing down their necks after reducing the gap to one point.
One of the highlights of the evening wasn't the action on the pitch, it was the travelling support who are holding onto hope as their side keep the gap behind Benfica to four points with three games to play.
By Matthew Marshall at Estádio Municipal de Arouca