Yoshinori Muto’s blistering start to the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League season continued as he scored the winner in FC Tokyo’s 1-0 win at Shonan Bellmare, sending them joint-top of the table.

The Coca-Cola Most Valuable Player in March showed his worth once again in matchday 5, arriving in the box to head in Kosuke Ota’s cross past Bellmare shortly after the hour mark.

Muto’s latest strike gave Tokyo their third consecutive win and drove them level on 11 points with leaders Urawa Reds while taking his tally for the campaign up to four.

The on-form wide man is behind Gamba Osaka hotshot Takashi Usami in the scoring charts however, after the latter plundered his fifth and sixth goal of the season in a 3-2 win at Shimizu S-Pulse.

Usami and strike partner Patric had appeared to cancel their hosts’ plans to celebrate in the event of a win, both scoring either side of the break to put the champions in charge.

But new S-Pulse signing Peter Utaka’s first goal of the season followed by Genki Omae’s temporary equaliser needed Usami to conjure a winner, which the 22-year-old did in the 80th minute.

Gamba’s determined win means they have closed to within a point of Urawa Reds, wiping out the early advantage Mihailo Petrovic had enjoyed over their rivals initially.

The Reds appeared to be headed for defeat at a Kawasaki Frontale seeking their 100th top-flight win at home, with Kentaro Moriya putting the hosts into a 35th-minute lead.

Yet Urawa always looked like coming back, and did so with a minute of regular time left through Zlatan Ljubijankic, though Petrovic could yet lament his side being unable to push on for the win.

Kashima Antlers had played with fire in their 1-1 draw to Albirex Niigata though, Rafael Silva breaking through to net for the visitors i the 41st minute.

But Toninho Cerezo’s gradually-recovering outfit pulled back through Shoma Doi immediately after the restart, making it four straight games without a defeat in all competitions now.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima seem unable to keep up their early-season pace however, after succumbing to a 2-0 loss at Nagoya Grampus, new Japan international Kengo Kawamata amongst the goals on Sunday.

Sagan Tosu - fellow contenders for qualification to the AFC Champions League at the end of the season - capitalised by seeing off Montedio Yamagata 1-0 at Best Amenity Stadium.

Kashiwa Reysol had likewise stormed to a 3-1 victory away to Matsumoto Yamaga earlier, goals from Hidekazu Otani, Tetsuro Ota and Masato Kudo just reward for the clinical visitors.

More goals were on offer as Vissel Kobe put four past basement side Ventforet Kofu, Daisuke Ishizu’s first-half brace spurring Nelsinho’s team to a 4-1 win.

Earlier in the day, Fabio’s 93rd-minute leveller had secured Yokohama F.Marinos a 1-1 draw against Vegalta Sendai.