Benfica welcomed Alverca to Estádio da Luz on Monday night in Liga Portugal round 10.
Kickoff was 8:15 PM Lisbon time, and fans had already sung the club anthem before the whistle.
Porto lead the league with 27 points after nine games. Benfica sit second with 22.
Benfica arrived chasing a third straight league win after a 2-1 comeback at Santa Clara on October 26.
The live blog showed 0-0 in the fourth minute as Benfica pressed for an early opener.
Alverca came into the game 10th in the table after a strong start to life in the top flight.
Asked about Rafa or Lukebakio on the right wing, the Benfica boss said there are no hierarchies in his team.
Silva said the better-performing player does not always start, and praised Rafa's excellent start to the season.
Benfica are also in Europa League contention, so a home slip would have hurt twice.
About 1,000 searches for the match were recorded in 24 hours across the US, UK, and Canada.
Bruno Costa was the referee for the night at a packed Estádio da Luz.
A Benfica win keeps the gap to Porto at five points. Alverca would have pulled off the upset of the round.
Get the full breakdown, key numbers, and what happens next.
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