A few shock results punctuated Jornada 9 of Liga NOS 2018/19, notably struggling sides Aves and Nacional earning impressive results away at Chaves and Rio Ave respectively on Monday night, while Tondela too excelled on the road with a 4-2 triumph at Feirense.
Arguably though the biggest upset was produced in the match that began the weekend’s action, Moreirense stunning Benfica at Estádio da Luz. Portuguese winger Arsénio Martins was one of the chief architects of the Eagles’ downfall and he is PortuGOAL’s Figure of the Week.
In a week where Portuguese football claimed its first managerial casualty, following the sacking of Sporting’s José Peseiro, the pressure was also ramped up on others dotted within the Primeira Liga top-spots, none more so than at the helm of Lisbon rivals Benfica.
José Peseiro has been sacked in the wake of a harrowing Halloween night performance by Sporting, who fell to a 2-1 home defeat against second-tier Estoril at Alvalade on Wednesday evening. 
Liga NOS tightened at the top after an eventful Jornada 8, as defending champions Porto reclaimed 1st place after a 2-0 win over Feirense. This was facilitated by Braga drawing the Minho derby with Vitória Guimarães, as well as Benfica falling to a shock loss away at Belenenses. Sporting kept touch by beating Boavista, while Rio Ave and Santa Clara continued their excellent starts with victories over Chaves and Aves respectively.
After a couple of weeks of international and cup football to sink our teeth into, the Primeira Liga returned with a whole host of emblematic encounters to get the mood rolling again. First on the agenda was a derby, no less, as second-placed Sporting de Braga were made to settle for a point away to Vitória de Guimarães in a 1-1 draw, last Friday.