After a three-year winless streak against Palmerias, Corinthians put an end to its misfortunes, beating its cross-town rival 1-0 on Sunday.

Thanks to a heroic effort by Corinthians' goalkeeper Felipe, the team came out victorious against Palmeiras in the fifth round of the Sao Paulo state championship.

The game's only goal came in the 6th minute. Corinthian's Tcheco lofted a stopped ball towards the far Palmeiras goalpost where Jorge Henrique out-jumped the defense to head the ball in the goal.

Minutes later, Corinthians' star midfielder Roberto Carlos received a red card and was expulsed from the match for his tackling Joaozinho from behind.

"We lost a player early in the match. We battled to the end and were able to secure our win. We spent a lot of time on stopped ball during this week's practice and it showed in today's game. It's time to celebrate," said Henrique.

With the win, Corinthians scored its 11th point for the first place of the tournament while Palmeiras suffered its first loss, dropping to 6th place with eight points.

Corinthians returns to the field on February 3 travelling to play Ponte Preta in the sixth round, and Palmeiras will host Portuguesa on February 4.