SportPesa League leaders Gor Mahia opened up a four-point cushion at the top of the standings with a comfortable 3-0 win against Sofapaka.
K’Ogalo scored all the three goals from set pieces with one from a corner netted by Sylvester Owino,a throwball headed in by Frank Odhiambo and a penalty from Ebenezer Adukwaw.
The win, a fourth in a row for the record champions, brings their tally to 40 points from their 19 games.
Gor now have a four-point cushion at the top, with their eternal rivals AFC Leopards not in action over the weekend.
Shabana climbed into third place after a Brian Michira penalty was enough for them to grind out a 1-0 win against stubborn Bandari FC.
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With just one defeat in their last five games, Shabana continued to show their capability to battle it out against the top teams in the nation.
Another team that has completely turned their season around and continues to stun fans across the nation is Murang’a Seal. The Osborne Monday-coached side has lost just once in their last 14 games.
Murang’a top scorer Joe Waithira was the hero again, opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the 10th minute, before bagging the winning goal with seven minutes left in the match.
Waithira’s brace secured all three points for Murang’a as they beat APS Bomet 2-1 on Sunday, lifting them into fourth place with 30 points.
“I am happy with the performances that the team is putting up every week and we are working hard in training. Things are working out well despite us still having a lot of work to do.
“We are taking it one game at a time and now we switch our focus on the next match. The boys have what it takes and we have shown that we can compete,” the former Kenya international Monday told SportPesa’s Blog.
Waithira now leads the SportPesa League’s scoring charts with an impressive 12 goals so far this season, three more than Paul Okoth of Ulinzi Stars.
ALSO READ: Mathare United coach John Kamau points to tactical errors & set-piece woes after KCB loss
At the opposite end of the table, Kariobangi Sharks climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time this season with a 1-0 win against Ulinzi.
Humphrey Aroko’s first half effort was enough for Sharks who are now in 15th place with 17 points, two above the dreaded drop zone.
Head coach William Muluya is hoping they can build on their third win of the season and change the trajectory for the rest of their campaign.
2022 champions Tusker FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Posta Rangers, leaving them in 8th place with 28 points, just two away from the top four.
In the only other stalemate of the weekend, Mara Sugar came from behind twice to hold Kakamega Homeboyz in an enthralling 3-3 draw on Saturday.
Mara have now gone seven games without a win and have dropped into 13th place with 21 points.
Homeboyz on the other hand have only lost one of their last five games and remain in fifth place with 28 points.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia Head Coach Charles Akonnor credits win against Sofapaka to set-piece prowess
Betting lessons & trends
Goals – The average number of goals scored across all the games in the last four matchdays has been very similar. There were 19 scored across seven games, a slight increase from the 17 last week with two more games played.
We have seen at least one game in the last three weeks have more than four goals and the same happened here in the Mara Sugar vs Homeboyz clash.
Home team advantage – KCB’s 2-1 win against Mathare last Friday marked the only away victory all weekend in the SportPesa League.
Four out of the remaining six matches resulted in a win for the home team, cementing the record of the hosts having an advantage over the course of the season. Away wins are not unheard of but they are increasingly becoming less common as we enter the business end of the season.
Hot streaks continue – The likes of Gor, Murang’a, Leopards and Shabana are on impressive runs of form and have proved to be reliable both for punters and ordinary football fans alike.
These sides have each lost just once in over five games and their consistency has to be acknowledged. Home games for these sides in particular guarantees at least a point, making them a key feature in weekly bets.
