Chidozie Iwundu scored just after the break in the rearranged matchday 9 game on Wednesday 4 November, and Enugu Rangers beat Bendel Insurance 1-0. That lifts them to 21 points from 10 matches, 2.10 a game, and with one fixture still owed the lead against most rivals is bigger than the raw table suggests once every club is counted on the same number of games.

Nobody else is above 1.64. Big gap. The table below, built from every match sheet of the season, shows it.

The top eight by points

Katsina United are also on 16. Sporting Lagos and Doma United have 15 points from 10 games, 1.50 each, and Inter Lagos are last on 6 from 11. Four clubs, Rangers, Sporting Lagos, Doma United and Ranchers Bees, are on 10 games, so each still owes a matchday 10 fixture. Abia Warriors against Enyimba is postponed.

Our earlier look at the four clubs level on 18 points had Rangers on 18 with two games to play.

What 21 looks like at equal games

Raw points flatter anyone with a game in hand. We counted every club's first 10 matches.

Three points over Bendel Insurance is one win.

The last five, wins at Warri Wolves and over Abia Warriors, draws at Barau and Rivers United, and now this one, are worth 11 points from 15.

The split is where Rangers are most exposed. At home they have taken 13 of 15 points, four wins and a draw with Katsina United on the opening day, and scored 8 goals against 3. Away they have 8 of 15, two wins, two draws and the 2-0 defeat at Ikorodu City, with 8 scored and 7 conceded. Seven goals conceded in five trips is a lot for a leader, and Ikorodu City showed on 27 September how quickly a visiting Rangers side can be shut out and sent home with nothing. Home form built this lead. Away form tests it.

The abandoned game that still counts

Sportmonks, the data provider we use, marks Rangers against Nasarawa United as abandoned. The game counts. Rain stopped it at 1-1 on 17 September, and Daniel Itodo's goal finished it 2-1 the next morning, Africa Top Sports reported. Strip those three points out and Rangers sit on 18 from 9, a rate of 2.00 that still leads but by less, which is why we added the result by hand.

Every figure above comes from our own calculations on the match sheets. One result, Nasarawa United, was added by hand. We checked the totals by script: wins equal losses, goals for equal goals against, and every points tally equals three times wins plus draws.

Sunday brings the next test. Rangers are listed at home to Kwara United on Sunday 8 November, matchday 12. Kwara United are 15th on 12 points. They lost 2-1 at home to Bendel Insurance in their last game. Win that and Rangers reach 24. Lose, and the pack breathes. More on the club is in our Enugu Rangers profile.

This article was most recently revised and updated 18 seconds ago