Jin Shunkai and Liu Chengyu were both off target with their early efforts for the hosts while Hideo Higashikawa put Shenhua under pressure in the 16th minute, the Japanese striker forcing the defence onto the backfoot before hitting a shot that Xue Qinghao gathered.

Tampines Rovers’ midfield was almost non-existent when Xu Haoyang surged forward to open the scoring, the defender almost unopposed as he drove towards goal from 45 yards out, eventually finding the bottom corner with a shot from 18 yards.

But, with 12 minutes left in the half, the Singaporeans pulled level. Faris received possession on the edge of the penalty area and, after a touch to control, the Singapore international bent an unstoppable curling shot into the top corner.

Hide Highashikawa, meanwhile, was proving to be a thorn in the side of Shenhua’s defence, cutting through the backline moments later to unleash a shot on goal that Xue Qinghao managed to block.

Tampines Rovers goalkeeper Syazwan Buhari denied Luis Asue, Xie Pengfei and Liu Chengyu as the half drew to a close with Shenhua frustrated at being unable to restore their advantage before the interval.

The hosts continued to dominate when the action resumed, with Joao Teixeira denied by Syazwan and Luis Asue shooting wide while Xu Haoyang’s attempt was also kept out by the goalkeeper.

In the 62nd minute Shenhua found a way through once more. Gao Tianyi’s initial effort was blocked by Syazwan, but the midfielder collected the rebound and delivered an in-swinging cross from the left that Yang Shuai rose to nod over the line from inside the six-yard box.

Tampines’ Koya Kazama pulled a rare opportunity for a second wide of Xue Qinghao’s right post in the 73rd minute and Jacob Mahler headed high over the bar as the visitors missed out on claiming a share of the points.