The Dervishes capitalized well on the surprise defeat of Zamalek at Gouna to close the gap with the leaders and leapfrog Ahli to second place.

Full-back Ahmed Sedik gave the visitors a first-half lead after slotting home from close range seven minutes before the interval.

A rampant performance after the break saw Emad Soliman’s men score three goals in seven minutes to bag the three points in style.

A trade-mark freekick from captain Hosni Abd-Rabou doubled the lead on 59 minutes, before the Egypt midfielder converted a penalty to make it three shortly after.

Abdullah Saied completed the rout in the 66th minute with a well-placed shot after exchanging passes with Mohamed Abou-Greisha.

Smouha’s Ghanaian midfielder Godwin Attram missed a penalty in between, sloppily passing the ball into the hands of Ismaili keeper Mohamed Fathi, who has been given the nod ahead of first-choice Mohamed Sobhi.

But Attram made amends right after Saied’s goal, firing home a wonderful solo effort which saw him control the ball skillfully, dribble past one defender and round Fathi before hitting the empty net.

Attram’s compatriot Samuel Affum gave Smouha slight hope of a dramatic comeback with an explosive strike ten minutes from time, but it was too little too late for the Alexandrians.