By George Georgakopoulos

The time when the league derbies between AEK and Olympiakos were closely contested games with an uncertain outcome seemed long gone on Sunday night, when the Reds thrashed their 10-man hosts on Sunday with a 4-0 score.

The Olympic Stadium was brimming with passion and color before the game as some 25,000 AEK fans had created a fantastic atmosphere that the game that followed did not live up to.

League leader Olympiakos had the contest settled from the 23rd minute when AEK’s Yago Fernandez got sent off with a straight red for conceding a penalty that Djamel Abdoun converted. AEK asked for a penalty twice afterwards but that was all it could do on the night.

In the second half Olympiakos ran riot and scored twice through man-of-the-match Costas Mitroglou and once with David Fuster, to register its ninth win in 10 Super League games this season.

That win has kept PAOK five points from the top, with the Thessaloniki club strolling to a 2-0 home win over Platanias Hanion through goals by Dimitris Salpingidis and Lino.

The other Athens derby of the day between fifth-placed Atromitos and third-placed Panionios ended with a 1-0 win for the Peristeri side thanks to a Thanassis Karagounis strike.

Panthrakikos had Dimitris Papadopoulos for his goal and keeper Dimitris Koutsopoulos for his penalty save to thank as the Komotini club defeated fourth-placed Asteras Tripolis 1-0 at home in its first victory with coach Pavlos Dermitzakis on its bench.

In other weekend games OFI defeated Veria 2-0, PAS Giannina downed Xanthi 1-0 and Levadiakos saw off Aris 1-0.

On Monday Panathinaikos visits Kerkyra.