Marítimo outclassed Arouca in a convincing 3-0 victory at Estádio Municipal de Arouca. Ali Alipour converted a cross early on with Joel Tagueu firing home after his penalty had been saved.

Arouca huffed and puffed after Marítimo’s Henrique was sent off in the 56th minute, but they couldn’t find the net with Alipour heading home in the 79th minute to end the contest.

Gil Vicente continued their sensational run of form with a 1-0 win at Estádio do Vizela. Fran Navarro’s first half penalty was the difference in a game with few clear cut chances.

Vizela threw everything at the visitors in the closing stages, but the club from Barcelos held on to solidify their position in the top five.

Braga overturned a 1-0 half time deficit at Estádio Municipal de Braga to snatch all three points against a stubborn Paços de Ferreira side. Antunes gave the visitors the lead on the stroke of half-time with a free kick that snuck under Braga's poorly constructed wall.

Ricardo Horta equalised in the 67th minute with a perfectly executed free kick and was on hand to convert Vítor Oliveira’s cross in the 90th minute. The victory gives Carlos Carvalhal’s side confidence before their long journey to face Sheriff in the Europa League.

FC Porto 2-2 Sporting

It ended in chaos with red cards galore (5 for players, more brandished for technical staff), most shown after the final whistle had blown, and unfortunately the headlines will focus on the poor discipline that the referee was incapable of controlling.

But putting the controversy surrounding the officiating and poor player behaviour to one side, there was actually a riveting game of football played. As well as full-blooded commitment, the two best teams in Portugal produced moments of brilliance in a raucous atmosphere. Four excellent goals were scored as Porto maintained their 6-point lead at the top of the table.

Paulinho and Nuno Santos put the visitors into a 2-0 lead, but Fábio Vieira halved the deficit shortly before the interval. A red card for Sporting captain Sebastián Coates upon the restart gave Porto the initiative, Mehdi Taremi equalised on 78 minutes, but 10-man Sporting held on for the draw.