Lija Athletic produced some bright and positive football to surprise their nearest rivals and reach them on a 12-point mark with a game in hand.
Joseph Galea’s troops made a nonsense of suggestions that they have already thrown in the towel and demonstrated that there may still be life left for sides lingering at the wrong end of the table with a brilliant match.
Tarxien coach Winston Muscat picked his team with defence in mind, stringing five players across the back. Darren Falzon played as a makeshift right back in a reshaped defence with Luke Sciberras, Ivan Paz and Edison Bilbao Zarate providing a midfield supply base for front-runners Raphael Kooh Sohna and Vito Plut.
This was an open invitation for Lija to exploit open spaces in midfield and they accepted it with relish.