Lalitpur City and Jhapa shared a point each after playing a goalless draw in the Nepal Super League at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Friday.

Lalitpur, one of the tournament favourites, would have leapfrogged leaders Dhangadhi at the summit with a victory but that never came despite keeping Jhapa under pressure throughout the game.

Lalitpur kept their unbeaten streak but a fourth draw in six games puts them in the second position with 10 points, one behind Dhangadhi, having played a game more.

Jhapa were looking to squeeze into the playoff spot after finally ending their winless run in a 1-0 victory over Butwal Lumbini on Tuesday but they also suffered their fourth draw of the season.

Jhapa climbed one position up to fifth with seven points. They are one point behind third-placed Kathmandu Rayzrs and fourth-placed Pokhara Thunders.

Lalitpur started brightly, with Dinesh Henjan rattling the bar in the fourth minute.

Jhapa’s Anjan Bista reached closer to scoring in the 23rd minute when Sudip Shrestha fed him with a defence-splitting pass inside the penalty area but Sanish Shrestha robbed Bista of the opportunity with a sliding challenge.

Lalitpur threatened the Jhapa box twice after the half-an-hour mark through Imom Ezekiel who first dribbled past two defenders to lay a cross that was cut off by Bishal Basnet and then attempted a header that flew wide.

Jhapa almost took the lead in the nick of the time when Jorge Peiaez Sanchez took advantage of a poor clearance from Ananta Tamang at the right side of the six-yard box and fired a low shot but Lalitpur goalkeeper Jeffery Willy Marcel reacted brilliantly to block the effort.

Lalitpur ran rampant after the restart and Papa Ibou Kebe tested Jhapa goalkeeper Stefan Cupic, flicking a cross from Ezekiel in the 50th minute.

Henjan then made an ambitious long-ranged effort in the 62nd minute that deflected off Chhiring Lama before sailing just over the bar. In the resulting corner, Kebe found a golden opportunity to give Lalitpur the lead when Sesehang Angdembe’s weak semi-volley found him but the French forward wasted it.

Lalitpur pressed for a goal in the final minutes with a series of attacks but could not breach the solid defence line of Jhapa.

Ezekiel should have scored in the first minute of the added time when Kebe set him up near the penalty spot but the Nigerian was not clinical enough.

Kebe’s close-ranged header off a solid cross from defender Shrestha almost found the net a minute later but Lama came to the rescue with a block.

Tamang then made a last-ditch effort to stab Jhapa with a deadly powerful header which goalkeeper Cupic dropped initially but took the situation under control with quick reaction.