Moses' Spartak Moscow boost title ambition with CSKA Moscow win

Spartak Moscow did their Russian Premier League title bid a lot of good thanks to Sunday's 1-0 defeat of CSKA Moscow.

This after Jordan Larsson's second-half strike settled the Moscow derby played at the Otkritie Arena.

Both teams went into this crunch encounter on the back of losses in their last fixtures.

While Spartak were overpowered 3-0 at home by Ufa, the Horses - who have now lost their last three outings in all competitions - suffered the same scoreline versus Lokomotiv Moscow.

As predicted, the fierce derby got off to an explosive start with both sides looking for the breakthrough.

Despite impressive attacking moves, goals were scarce as the goalkeepers from both clubs guarded their goals with aplomb.

However, the complexion of the game changed in the 37th minute after CSKA's Ilzat Akhmetov was given his marching orders after serious foul play.

Following a dangerous tackle on Russian forward Aleksandr Sobolev, referee Pavel Kukuyan had no option than to show him the way out.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors held their nerve to ensure that the first half ended 0-0.

In the second half, the hosts came out stronger and knowing that their opponents are a man down, they attacked persistently.

That paid off eight minutes before the hour mark as Larsson gave them a well-deserved lead. The 23-year-old Sweden international sped through CSKA's backline, dribbled past two of his markers before sending a low shot past goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev.

The People's Team held on to the lead and with no goals in the remainder of the game, they secured all points at stake.

Chelsea loanee Victor Moses was on parade from start to finish for Domenico Tedesco's men, although he was cautioned in the 90th minute for time-wasting.

On the other side, Chidera Ejuke was named in the starting line-up but he was replaced by 21-year-old Belarus youth international Ilya Shkurin in the 82nd minute.

Thanks to this win, Spartak Moscow remain in the third position after amassing 50 points from 27 outings. Eight points separate them from leaders Zenit St. Petersburg.

For CSKA Moscow, they sit in the sixth spot with 46 points from the same number of outings.