After the day's eight stages, Sordo led Frenchman Loeb by just 1.1 seconds with Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala in third place, a further 7.4 seconds adrift.
"This morning I was in a bit of trouble, but now the feeling is much better," said Loeb.
"I tried to push hard, but it was bumpy so I didn't want to make a mistake now."
"This morning I was in a bit of trouble, but now the feeling is much better."
Sebastien Loeb |
Finland's Mikko Hirvonen was in fourth place for Ford, 4.9 seconds behind Latvala, with Australian Chris Atkinson fifth in a Subaru.
Petter Solberg, Atkinson's Norwegian team mate, retired after stage six, the longest of the day.
"We hit a rock with the left-hand front wheel and the right-hand damper exploded," Solberg told the official WRC website.
"We had to stop because the leaking damper oil caused a small fire."
The rally is based around the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley, approximately 50 km from Jordan's capital Amman.
Four-time champion Loeb leads the drivers' standings with 25 points after four rounds, three clear of Hirvonen.