Han struck from close range 18 minutes from time to put the northern side back on the summit after taking 13 points from their first six games.

In a hard-fought match, Liaoning had a golden chance to open the scoring 11 minutes into the game when Australia international Ryan Griffiths was only inches away from tapping in a cross from Chen Xing.

Five minutes before the interval, forward Zhang Shudong evaded Tan Wangsong before clipping a volley against Tianjin keeper Yang Jun, only to see the ball fly over the bar.

Tianjin's Czech manager Jozef Jarabinsky replaced Wu Weian with Han Yanming after the break to intensify the attack and in the 72nd minute the substitute struck to hand his side the three points.

"It was a tough game for us," said Jarabinsky. "We still had the same scoring problem as we had during the clash against Dalian."

Tianjin are three points ahead of Dalian - who downed Tianjin 1-0 in the fourth round - as well as defending champions Shandong Luneng and last year's runners-up Shanghai Shenhua, all of whom play on Sunday.

In the day's other game, Changchun Yatai beat Changsha Ginde 1-0 at home thanks to China midfielder Wang Dong's free-kick seven minutes before the break.

The north-eastern side jumped into second place with 12 points after going on a three-game winning streak.