Guangzhou E-Power saw out a comfortable 3:0 win over Changchun Yatai in the League One regular season on Sunday. The hosts sat top of the table with 49 points from 21 games and had nothing to do all evening against the visitors, who languish in 11th place on 22 points after 20 matches.
Liang Xueming turned it on early, firing home twice in the opening 24 minutes. He even booked himself in the 15th minute alongside his first goal, which set the tone for a match where Changchun got dragged out of position time and again. Huang Shenghao added a late third in stoppage time, and by then the result was never in doubt.
The statistics tell the story. Guangzhou held 55 per cent possession and created three big chances, while Changchun managed none. The hosts shot six times on target compared to two for the visitors, and their 95 attacks dwarfed the guests' 79. To be fair, Changchun did manage more crosses — 23 to 15 — but only five landed successfully.
The win extends Guangzhou's lead at the summit. They have won 15 of their 21 games this season, with only two defeats to their name. Changchun, meanwhile, have hit a wall of late, losing four of their last five league games despite the 6:0 victory over Dongguan United on their most recent outing.
What really stood out was the gap in quality between the two sides. Guangzhou's deeper squad showed in the second half, and their midfield dominated. The history between them adds an edge, but today the table position told the truth.