A rare goal from Czech defender Marek Suchy and a 12th of the season for Emmanuel Emenike brought Spartak a 2-0 victory over Rubin Kazan on Sunday, lifting the Muscovites to second in the Russian Premier League.
Suchy struck only his third goal in over 50 games for Spartak when the ball fell to him in the box, firing into the roof of the net on 74 minutes.
Nigerian striker Emenike made it two eight minutes later, passing wide to Ari before storming into the area and heading home the Brazilian's cross.
Spartak overtake CSKA Moscow to move to 68 points, 12 short of leaders Zenit St. Petersburg, who beat CSKA 2-0 on Saturday.
It means Zenit have five games from which to collect four points needed to seal the title, assuming Spartak collect a maximum 15 from their remaining matches. The two clash in the penultimate round on May 6.
Spartak coach Valery Karpin put the win down to his deployment of Georgian substitute Zhano Ananidze, who took the corner that led to the first goal.
"We dominated before that, ... but I think the result is mostly down to him," Karpin said in televised comments.
Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev was characteristically blunt.
"We just didn't run," he said.
Rubin's first serious chance fell to Bibras Natkho, who poked a shot toward the corner that Spartak goalkeeper Artem Rebrov tipped around his right post.
Rebrov, Spartak's No. 2, was making his third appearance this season since first-choice goalkeeper Andriy Dikan had several face bones broken in a challenge with Zenit striker Alexander Kerzhakov last month.
In defense, Rubin snuffed out two dangerous moments before strikers Ari and Artem Dzyuba could get their shots away.
In the second half, Rubin striker Sergei Davydov beat the offside trap to hit a low half-volley straight at Rebrov.
At the other end Dmitry Kombarov sent a free kick inches wide of Sergei Ryzhikov's left-hand post.
A long ball then found striker Ari free at the back post, the Brazilian cut inside but a defender recovered in time to block his attempted curler.
The 26-year-old forward the darted onto another long ball to shoot high, but Ryzhikov grabbed it at the second attempt.
On the counter, Rubin played a couple of long balls of their own, the last of which Davydov just failed to stretch to with the goal at his mercy.
Ryzhikov saved an Emenike effort on 73 minutes, giving away a corner that led to Suchy's goal.
That seemed to sap all of the visitors' attacking power, but it was Rubin's defense that was all at sea for the second.
Emenike found five yards of space between the two central defenders to bury the ball past Ryzhikov and seal all three points.
Krasnodar travel to Rostov on Monday.
