Palmeiras saw off Fluminense with relative ease to claim a 3:0 home win and make another major step towards the title. The first 40 minutes were goalless despot the dominating of the home side but then Miguel Borja popped up with an important goal to release the pressure. The hosts coasted in the second half and goals by Felipe Melo and Luan in the final ten minutes rounded off the scoring to give true implementation of their dominance on the day.

It was defence vs attack from the word g and it was clear that Palmerias were hungry from a goal to settle any neves against a Fluminense side that had 11 men behind the ball. Willian fired a powerful low shot on the turn from inside the area after a minute and the visiting keeper needed to make a smart save. Then came a good free-kick by Bruno Henrique from dance and Julio Cesar needs to get his fingertips to send the ball over the bar. The Vedaõ kept on looking for a breakthrough in these early minutes and Borja twice came close in quick succession as he fist dragged a low shot wide of the right post and then headed narrowly over the bar after a corner.

Flumiensne gradually came into the game a bit more and looked like a side capable of holding their own as the hosts lost a bit of their attacking edge. Chances proved hard to come by and it seemed like the game was heading to a goalless draw at the break. Indeed, Junior Sornoza ad the home goalie worried with a powerful free-kick on the left-hand side that needed to be held well.

But the leaders, as they have done so many times in the past few months, found a way to get on top when not playing that well and took the lead on 40 minutes. A low cross from the right picked out Borja inside the box and he was quick to finish with ease as the defence could not quite react in time. Bruno Henrique could well have scored a second in the remainder of the first half too but curled a free-kick just over the bar.

The second half saw the home side in cruise control and looking to get a second but not with as much intensity as in the first half. Fluminense seemed very much short of both belief and quality and never seemed like worrying the home defence. Bruno Henrique saw a decent effort from outside the area held well before a dangerous low cross by Dudu was just cut out by Digaõ under pressure before Borja could pounce.

Lucas Lima missed a half-decent chance too when he sliced over the bar from ten yards out after Dudu did well to keep a cross alive at the byline. Gustavo Scarpa was the next Vedaõ player to go close as he met a cross by Dudu but his close-range header was blocked by the feet of Julio Cesar.

The calming second goal of the day for the home side eventually came eight minutes before the end and it was a belter as Melo produced a stunning volley from 22 yards out into the left corner that got the better of the goalie. The leaders completed a good day in the office in the doing stages with a third goal as Luan met a deep Scarpa fee-kick delivery at the far left post and heard the ball in. Jadson was sent off for arguments with the referee as well.

That was a good showing all in all by Felipe Scolari's side as they looked determined and lively in attack and on another day could have scored six or seven. They are not shrinking as the finishing line looms in and it is hard to see them throwing the title away now. Fluminense offered nothing in attack and while they showed decent sprit, the team always looked destined to lose and can hardly take too much solace in their display.