11 minutes in, Aris forward Dimitris Manos scored.
The former Olympiacos fixture’s goal seemed to keep Aris on a high, but late in the second half the Thessalonians’ chance at second place on the ladder were made slim.
Midfielder Kostas Fortounis came through in the 82nd minute bringing the Reds to an equalised score of 1-1. Unfortunately for Aris, a missed penalty kick by midfielder Bruno Gama in the 90th minute meant the team was bumped down to third.
Despite failing to beat Asteras Tripolis, Panathinaikos was still able to close the gap slightly between itself and fourth placed AEK after a 2-2 draw in Athens.
Club
Loan Watch: Double clean sheet for Akinola, Silva makes instant impact
Three West Ham United loanees were heavily involved for their respective clubs over the Bank Holiday weekend, with
Olatunji Akinola helping Leyton Orient to back-to-back clean sheets in League Two.
The 22-year-old defender was in resolute form for interim manager Jobi McAnuff’s O’s side, helping them record shut-outs away at Mansfield Town in a 2-0 win on Good Friday and at home to Walsall in a 0-0 draw on Easter Monday.
Having arrested a miserable run of form early last month, Orient are now unbeaten in their last seven games, winning four of them – with Akinola having started their last five.
Loan Watch: Four Hammers in action | West Ham United whufc.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from whufc.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Club
Loan watch: Sharp Silva starts Aris victory
Xande Silva was rewarded for his impressive recent form with a second start for Aris Thessaloniki FC as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over OFI Crete.
The West Ham United loanee had earlier this month netted his first goal and recorded his first two assists in senior football for the Super League Greece hopefuls, particularly impressing as a second-half impact substitute in the 2-2 draw at Atromitos.
Silva had therefore well and truly earned his starting berth on the right flank of Aris’ three-pronged attack, and played for 71 minutes against midtable OFI on Saturday.