Spartak pushed for an equalizer using all means possible. The League’s best striker, Welliton, crashed into Dinamo and Russian keeper, Vladimir Gabulov – and it didn’t seem an accident at all.

The Brazilian striker received a yellow card and the net-minder left the field, with a broken facial bone.

Substitute keeper Anton Shunin kept the sheet clean for Dinamo till the halftime whistle.

Spartak boss Valery Karpin introduced attacker Nikita Bazhenov after the break, and the sub paid off with 15 minutes left to play.

Spartak’s constant pressure resulted in Bazhenov kicking the ball into Dinamo’s net after Welliton’s effort.

But the Red-and-Whites, who are battling for the championship with Rubin Kazan, needed more

1-1 was the result, one which suit Rubin the most, as the Kazan team now enjoy a 6-point lead on top of the Russian Premier League table.

Rubin played their game on Saturday, thrashing Saturn Moscow Region 5-1.

Spartak Nalchik 0-1 Lokomotiv Moscow

Lokomotiv remain 4th in the table after they secured a 1-0 away win against Spartak Nalchik. And it was Russian international Dmitry Sychev, who got the all-important goal.

It came in the 65th minute, when the Spartak defense brought down Alan Gatagov in the goal area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.

And Sychev’s powerful shot did the rest to secure Loko a 1-0 victory for Yury Semin’s men.

Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 Rostov

Konstantin Zyrianov found himself unmarked in the box and easily hit the target after Vladimir Bystrov’s pass.

And with about 12 minutes to go in the match, Bystrov himself received a long ball and made all the right moves in the area to settle the final score.

Terek Grozny 4-0 Tom Tomsk

The Chechen team left no chance to the visitors from Tomsk thanks to a hat-trick from Shamil Lakhiyalov and another goal by Florentin Petre.