Persepolis beat Esteghlal Khuzestan 4:1 on 19 August in the Persian Gulf Pro League, the second matchday of the regular season. The hosts moved clear at home while their visitors remain rooted at the bottom of the table. It was a result that said more about Esteghlal's season than Persepolis' strength — by then the visitors had already shown they were running out of games.
The visitors started with nothing to lose and everything to fear. They drew three of their first five matches but had lost two, including a 0:2 defeat to Aluminium Arak just days before. To be fair, they brought no discipline issues to Tehran — no yellow cards, no red cards — but discipline alone doesn't close the gap when you're 17th.
Persepolis were dominant in the air from set plays and made their advantage count. They had two yellow cards to show for their efforts while keeping a clean sheet at the back. The hosts sit fourth with ten points from five games, three wins and a draw, and they fancy their chances of finishing well. Things came to a head when Esteghlal's defensive shape finally broke, and Persepolis took their chances.
The visitors' recent record tells the story. Since beating Fajr Sepahi 1:0 and drawing Aluminium Arak 1:1 in February, they've lost three straight — most recently the 0:2 at home to Arak. That run has cost them dearly in the standings. They're now six points behind safety with no wins to their name.
Persepolis' form has been steadier. They beat Shams Azar 2:0 on 15 August before that loss to Chomalu, and they've only dropped points once in five matches. The captain dragged them through it when the heat took the sting out of it, and now they're five points clear of the teams below them.