MOSCOW, November 3 (R-Sport) - Spartak Moscow thrashed Krylya Sovetov 5-0 on Saturday to send Unai Emery's men to fourth in the Russian Premier League and relieve some of the early-season pressure on the Spaniard.
Spartak's biggest win of the season maintains the team's recovery after defeats to title rivals CSKA Moscow and Anzhi Makhachkala, while Krylya stay 12th, five points above the relegation zone.
Emery's job was thought to be on the line after he received only lukewarm backing from owner Leonid Fedun last month, but Spartak played with exuberant confidence in the emphatic win over Krylya on their coach’s birthday.
Spartak midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov said Krylya lacked the fitness to keep up.
“Krylya looked tired in the second half, the last 30 minutes,” the ex-Everton player said, and suggested that thoughts of Champions League action against Benfica on Tuesday had played on the Spartak players’ minds.
“Our thoughts were on this game but of course we understand that we played well and we need a good match, to score. It’ll be hard for us there, and we need three points.”
The first goal came after 12 minutes when Krylya keeper Sergei Veremnko parried away a wickedly curving free-kick from Dmitry Kombarov, and the ball eventually fell for Jose Manuel Jurado to smash in from near the penalty spot.
Defender Nicolas Pareja made it 2-0 seven minutes before the break, heading in straight from Kim Kallstrom’s corner.
Kombarov scored one of his own on a Spartak breakaway 20 minutes from time, putting on a burst of pace to meet Ari’s cross and head the ball into the net with Veremko stranded.
Artyom Dzyuba came off the bench and combined well with fellow substitute Jano Ananidze, who set up Dzyuba to smash in Spartak’s fourth, but another Ananidze pass came to naught when Dzyuba sliced wide soon after.
Ananidze turned predator to make it 5-0, taking advantage as Krylya's defense stood off to smash a curling shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Krylya had chances to peg Spartak back in the first half before the goals rained in, with Paraguay forward Luis Caballero forcing a save from Spartak’s Artyom Rebrov.
Spartak could have scored more, such as when Ari hit the back of the net in the first minute of the second half, only for the effort to be disallowed for a marginal offside.
Earlier, FC Kuban briefly took fourth place after thrashing Amkar Perm 3-0.
On Friday, Roman Shirokov scored the winner with the last touch of the game as Zenit St. Petersburg beat FC Rostov 2-1.
Later Saturday, Mordovia Saransk host Rubin Kazan.
Sunday sees a Moscow derby as CSKA face Lokomotiv, before Anzhi take on Terek and FC Krasnodar host Dynamo Moscow.
Alania Vladikavkaz’s game against FC Volga rounds out the weekend’s action Monday evening.
