The Lion City Sailors continued their push towards a second straight Singapore Premier League (SPL) title with a 4-1 comeback victory over sixth-placed Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday (12 April) night.

Goals from Lennart Thy, Shawal Anuar, Toni Datković and Anderson Lopes helped the Sailors overturn an early deficit, as the champions claimed their 14th win in 16 matches to extend their unbeaten run.

The result keeps the Sailors eight points clear at the top, albeit having played a game more, and marks a fourth consecutive victory under Head Coach Jesús Casas.

Speaking after the match, the Spaniard was pleased with how his side responded after a difficult start.

“I’m very happy today because we overcame a new challenge. Hougang are one of the best teams in the league in terms of tactical transition, so it was hard for us to win,” he said. 

“We started by conceding a goal, but the team continued with our style of football and kept pressing. We adjusted a few things at half-time in attack and in defence, and that changed the game for us.”

Since joining the Sailors in February this year, Jesús has not shied away from rotating his squad, and he continued that approach here. Hafiz Nor was handed his first start of the season on the right wing, while Song Uiyoung returned to the starting line-up for the first time after a near three-month injury layoff.

The Sailors, however, made an ominous start as they fell behind inside nine minutes, with Huzaifah Aziz rifling a long-range effort past Ivan Sušak.

That brought an end to their run of three consecutive clean sheets, and while the Sailors tried to respond immediately, Hougang proved difficult to break down in the opening exchanges.

Indeed, the hosts’ first clear chance came only in the 27th minute when Lennart carved out an opening for Tsiy Ndenge, but the midfielder fired inches wide from the edge of the area.

But the Sailors’ persistence paid off five minutes later when Hafiz was brought down by Hougang goalkeeper Ridhuan Barudin after Bart Ramselaar’s teasing cross caused chaos in the box.

Following a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, a penalty was awarded, and Lennart stepped up to convert confidently in the 37th minute.

The Sailors then had to stay alert to avoid conceding again, with Akram Azman producing a crucial tackle to deny former Sydney FC forward Jaushua Sotirio a clear run on goal.

Level at the break, the Sailors introduced Shawal in place of Hafiz, and the substitution paid immediate dividends.

Within 40 seconds of coming on, Shawal reacted quickest after his initial effort was saved, swivelling sharply to fire home and give the Sailors a 2-1 lead.

By then, the momentum had firmly swung in the hosts’ favour, with Hougang struggling to cope with the increased tempo.

“We changed some things tactically at half-time. We were more on the front foot, played more aggressively and were more active. That caused problems for the opponents,” said Tsiy, who was named Man of the Match.

Lennart was denied in a one-on-one by Ridhuan in the 58th minute, before seeing his header from Kyoga Nakamura’s corner deflected wide.

From the resulting set-piece, Toni rose highest to head home Kyoga’s delivery and make it 3-1 on the hour mark, scoring in back-to-back home matches.

The Croatian had also netted twice in the Sailors’ previous outing at Jalan Besar, a 4-0 win over Geylang International on 7 March.

With control firmly established, Jesús introduced fresh legs in Anderson Lopes, Hami Syahin and Rui Pires as the Sailors managed the closing stages.

Anderson eventually got on the scoresheet in the final minute of regulation time, tapping in Shawal’s low cross to seal a comprehensive victory.

The result leaves the Sailors three wins away from securing the league title, with the squad determined to maintain their focus to see it through to the end.

Next up are fixtures against Young Lions and Geylang International on 20 and 26 April respectively, before a potential title decider against BG Tampines Rovers on 3 May.

“Since the start of the season, we’ve been a very hungry team, and we want to fight for titles for the club. In the dressing room, we’re all pushing each other because we know how much the league trophy means to this club,” stressed Tsiy.

Echoing that sentiment, Jesús added, “I came here because I believe in the Sailors’ project. This is a team with a winning mentality and I’m very happy to be here to drive the club forward.

“The objective now is simple: to stay focused and win the title at the end of the season.”