Gamba, the 2005 J.League champions, also played for much of their match at Vissel Kobe with 10 players, but maintained their two-point lead after a 2-2 draw.

Reds opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Japan midfielder Keita Suzuki beat Koki Mizuno in the left corner and passed to Brazilian forward Washington, who ran into space between two Chiba defenders to find the net with a fine volley.

Chiba threatened to level just before the break as Yuki Mizumoto saw his shot blocked on the goalline by Makoto Hasebe, while Mizuno had an attempt punched out by Reds goalkeeper Ryuta Tsuzuki.

Things got worse for the visitors when defender Daisuke Saito was sent off after picking up his second booking of the game just seconds after the interval.

However, Chiba levelled the score four minutes later when Mizumoto latched on to a Seiichiro Maki header and slotted home from close range.

Reds piled on the pressure in their search for the elusive winning goal, going close as Marcus Tulio Tanaka hit the crossbar.

"It was just one of those days. We played hard and created many chances and shots, but we still couldn't find the net," said German coach Holger Osieck.

In Kobe, Gamba found themselves a man down for nearly the entire game after Brazilian striker Magno Alves received his marching orders in the ninth minute, but the visitors still went ahead in the 17th minute when Yasuhito Endo curled in a free-kick.

However, Kobe forward Yoshito Okubo headed in Vissel's equaliser a minute later and the home side went ahead in the 56th minute through Hiroyuki Komoto.

The league leaders got back on level terms though in the 65th minute when Brazilian forward Bare met Takahiro Futagawa's pass to half-volley home.

Kawasaki Frontale suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Yokohama F.Marinos, helping the former champions to improve place from eighth place to fifth.

Marinos went ahead in the fifth minute with a Hideo Oshima header and extended their lead when Koji Yamase scored with a free-kick in the 67th minute.

Frontale's Brazilian midfielder Magnum cut the deficit to 2-1 with a 78th-minute effort, but the visitors were unable to find an equaliser.

In other games, Kashiwa Reysol were held to a scoreless draw by Albirex Niigata, Oita Trinita snapped their five-win winless streak with a 2-1 win at Nagoya Grampus Eight and FC Tokyo went down to a 2-1 home defeat against Kashima Antlers despite Costa Rica forward Paulo Wanchope scoring his first J.League goal for the club.

Ventforet Kofu extended their unbeaten run to five games with a 1-0 win over Yokohama FC, Sanfrecce Hiroshima came from behind to beat Omiya Ardija 2-1 and South Korea'sCho Jae-jin scored both goals for Shimizu S-Pulse in their 2-1 win against Jubilo Iwata.