Right in the beginning of the game, Mikhail Komarov, on the Khimki goal, could only palm Nikita Bazhenov's shot straight into the path of Welliton, who was left with the simplest of finishes.

And the Brazilian striker could have doubled his side's lead minutes later, but Komarov did well to stop his team from going a further goal down.

Spartak then took total control of the game. In the first half, their ball possession surpassed 70 percent, which couldn’t but payback. The Red and Whites scored the second goal on the stroke of half-time. No one bothered to close down Sergey Pashivlyuk, and the defender hit a fantastic strike which left Komarov with little chance. A brilliant goal became the first in the campaign for the 20-year-old.

The home side finally managed to get a shot on target five minutes after the interval. Dzhanaev did well to deny Semochko there.

Spartak went on dominating and had plenty of chances to extend their lead further – however, Komarov was doing a fine job in trying to keep the scoreline respectable for his side.

The visitors made it 3-0 with just two minutes to go. Welliton earned his 19th goal in only 24 games to cap a good display and keep the pressure up on fellow title contenders Rubin.

The defeat is Khimki's 11th in a row, while the side from just outside the Russian capital have picked up just 10 points in 26 games this season. The loss means Khimki has lost every chance to stay at the Russian elite division next year.

Meanwhile, a vital three points for Spartak, who have now won four games in a row, means the Red and Whites climb to the first spot in the league and will stay there at least until Sunday when their main challengers, Rubin, play on the road against Rostov.

Krylya Sovetov 2-0 Terek

In the first game of the day, Krylya Sovetov put a halt to their slide down the table with a 2-0 win over Terek.

Vladislav Ignatiev was the first to find the net for the hosts. And Krylya doubled their advantage 7 minutes from time through Russian international Roman Adamov, who was the quickest to pounce.

The victory smashed a four-game winless streak for the southern Russian side.

Lokomotiv Moscow 2-2 FC Moscow

In the last game of the day, mid-table neighbours, Lokomotiv and Saturn, shared points. After Saturn took the lead at the end of the first half, the two sides exchanged goals early in the second. And the Muscovites were remaining one goal behind for almost the whole second half until Russian international Dmitry Sychev restored the parity minutes before the final whistle.