According to "Varzesh3", the home defeat against Fooladdid not add to the points tally of Persepolis , but neither did it take first place from the team. Mehdi Tartar's men experienced their second defeat of the season through Vahid Amiri's goal in the 87th minute and stayed on 20 points; nevertheless, in the current table they remain above the three teams level on points with them.

The reason Persepolis remain top is their better goal difference. After ten matches, the Reds have six wins, two draws and two defeats, and with 18 goals scored and five conceded, they have recorded a goal difference of +13. Sepahan with a difference of +11, Tractor with +10 and Esteghlal with +9 are the other 20-point teams in the table. Despite failing to score against Foolad, Persepolis still also have the most goals scored in the league.

The greatest fresh pressure on the leaders came from Sepahan. With a 4-0 win over Mes Shahr-e Babak, the Isfahan team moved from 17 to 20 points and joined the group of contenders level on points. Interestingly, before today's matches, the goal-difference gap between Persepolis and Sepahan was seven goals, but with the Reds' one-goal defeat and Sepahan's four goals, that gap shrank to two goals.

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Esteghlal, too, had earlier missed the chance to pass Persepolis. With a 1-1 draw against Chadormalu, the Blues reached 20 points, and that very slip meant Persepolis's defeat did not lead to Esteghlal overtaking them on points. Now Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh's team, despite being unbeaten, sits fourth in the current table due to an inferior goal difference.

Tractor's situation, however, has an important difference from the other three teams. The Tabriz representatives have reached 20 points from 9 matches, while Persepolis, Sepahan and Esteghlal have each played ten games. Tractor's match in hand is the unplayed fixture against Malavan, whose outcome could affect the race at the top of the table.

Foolad, with their win in Shahr-e Qods, also brought themselves to within one point of the top. Hamid Motahari's men now have 19 points, so that the gap between the first and fifth teams in the table is just one point. Persepolis have kept top spot, but missed the chance to open a gap and now, to hold their position, see four close rivals beside them.

Source: Varzesh3