The most highly anticipated game of any Turkish football season took place on Monday night, as fierce rivals Galatasaray hosted Fenerbahce, looking to continue their dominance over their rivals. 

Galatasaray were unbeaten in their previous five league meeting with Fenerbahce, and had lost just once in their last nine, so they went into the contest with plenty of confidence.

And that showed from the off, with the first half being total one-way traffic.

Galatasaray suffocated Fenerbahce, denying them any time on the ball with their high press and dominance on the ball. It was like men against boys.

The home side took the lead just before the half-hour mark, as that man again, Victor Osimhen, thumped home brilliantly with his left foot after a great pass from Baris Alper Yilmaz.

The Nigerian doubled their lead on the cusp of half-time, flicking home intelligently with his head from Davinson Sanchez's shot from outside the box.

At the interval, Gala had 62% possession, while Fener didn't have a single shot. It was barely competitive.

The second half continued in very similar fashion as Gala barely broke a sweat. However, the momentum switched on a moment of magic.

Out of practically nothing, the ball came to Irfan Can Kahveci in the penalty area, and he produced a brilliant overhead kick to cut the deficit in half, stunning the home fans.

Gala remained in control, but tension rose. One error could see Fener salvage a draw out of nothing.

Yet it wasn't to be for Fener, and Gala saw out the 2-1 win relatively comfortably. Four shots and an xG of 0.28 for the away side was dismal, and they were light-years away from Gala in terms of quality. A majorly concerning performance and result - their third loss of the season, falling six points off the summit.

They look like a team who spent their money poorly in the summer. A team that lacks ideas or any athleticism to keep up with a team like Galatasaray. Winning the league looks almost impossible for them.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray delivered a brilliant performance, though they will be slightly annoyed they didn't score more goals. While Osimhen was brilliant and is the best player in Turkey, the man at the heart of all things good was Aleksey Batrakov.

The 21-year-old Russian playmaker was signed in the summer for €25 million, and has been nothing short of a revelation. Coming off the back of scoring in a 4-2 victory over Lille in the Champions League, he followed that up with another supreme display.

Progressive and forward-thinking with everything he does, he gives Galatasaray an element of technical control and creativity in midfield that they haven't had in ages. 

Several other players performed well, including Mario Lemina, Lucas Torreira and Ismail Jakobs. But it is just impossible not to be struck by the class of Batrakov.

After the final whistle, a huge brawl ensued when former Galatasaray player Kerem Akturkoglu pushed Roland Sallai, before Abdulkerim Bardakci and Archie Brown were both sent off after getting into a mini wrestling match.

It'll mean little to Galatasaray as they have claimed the bragging rights. And in such a comprehensive manner too. At this moment in time, it is hard to see anyone stopping them from winning a record-breaking fifth-straight title.

Besiktas and Trabzonspor remain in touch

Besiktas rebounded from their defeat at Trabzonspor last week with a 2-0 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir on Monday evening. 

Vincenzo Italiano's side dominated but didn't have their shooting boots on, and looked like they were going to drop points inexplicably. However, with 15 minutes left, substitute Hyeon-Gyu Oh finally gave his side the lead, rounding the keeper before slotting home.

They then put the cherry on the cake in the 89th minute, as the impressive Junior Olaitan finished excellently from long range. The all-action midfielder has enjoyed a fantastic season so far, and continues to go from strength to strength.

Meanwhile, going on at the same time, Trabzonspor were involved in a rollercoaster contest at Rizespor, battling from 2-0 down to win 4-3.

Franculino, who joined the club from Midtjylland for a reported €25 million in the summer, bagged a brace, including a spectacular finish for the winning goal.

Last season in Denmark, Franculino scored 17 goals in 21 games, and he has already scored four in his first six in Turkey. He is a proper goalscorer, and he will score buckets of goals in the Super Lig. A very wise signing.

Team of the Week

Osimhen is the Flashscore Player of the Week, according to our very own internal ratings system, after his goalscoring heroics in the derby. 

Teammate Sanchez also makes the starting XI, while Trabzon trio Aral Simsir, Ernest Muci and Franculino find a place alongside Besiktas' Emmanuel Agbadou. 

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