Lernayin Artsakh took all three points from the first league on Monday, beating Andranik 2-1 in regular season round 8 at their home ground. The result shifts the visitors into fourth place, while the hosts drop to fifth in the table after six matches each. To be fair, the visitors had been struggling before this moment — three losses in their first six games left them firmly in the lower half.
Andranik came into the fixture sitting third with 13 points, having won four of their opening six matches. They had looked comfortable going into this game, with victories over BCMA II and Pyunik Yerevan II in their last two outings. Lernayin Artsakh, meanwhile, had won three and lost three, including a heavy 4-2 defeat to Bentonit Ijevan on their previous visit.
And here's the thing — the away side's recent form had been anything but steady. They had won 5-0 against Banants II and Ecovill in consecutive matches, but those results came against weaker opposition. The 3-4 loss to Bentonit and the 1-3 defeat to Mika suggested they could still be vulnerable when tested properly.
The home side's run of wins appears to have ended here. Before Monday they had taken four points from their last two games, including a 0-0 draw with Noah II. That draw might have given some pause, but the five-goal victory over Echmiadzin on 25 August showed their attacking intent. By then they had been the team to beat in this division.
The result leaves Andranik with 13 points in fifth place and Lernayin Artsakh on 12 points in fourth — a single point gap between them now. The visitors have played the same number of games but have one fewer draw in their record, which could matter in tiebreakers later. And here's the thing — cup football has its own rules, but this is the regular season where every point counts.