Moscow: Skipper Vasily Berezutsky scored the only goal as injury-hit reigning champions CSKA Moscow squeezed past visitors Ufa in the Russian Premier League on Friday.
The home win lifted the Red Army side top of the table two points ahead of city rivals Spartak, who take on last season's runners-up Rostov on Saturday, and Zenit St Petersburg, who visit Ural Yekaterinburg Sunday.
With several key players out this was a timely boost for the defending champions who travel to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, where they are bottom of Group E behind Monaco, Tottenham and Bayer with a point from two games.
"We expected a tough match and we were not mistaken," CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky said.
"It was very important to open the scores. After the interval we were under pressure but Ufa failed to create any serious threat to our goal. I think we won deservedly tonight," Slutsky added.
CSKA came into the match without Finland international Roman Eremenko, who was suspended by UEFA and FIFA for 30 days for reasons yet to be revealed, while first-choice goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and their playmaker Alan Dzagoev were sidelined with injuries.
But the Red Army side dominated from kick-off and in the 18th minute Berezutsky put them 1-0 up sending the ball into the net with a header off a well-served corner by former Man United midfielder Zoran Tosic.
After the interval Ufa attacked in waves in search of an equaliser, but CSKA defended stoutly stifling the visitors' attacks with a packed midfield.
In the 68th minute CSKA's second-half substitute forward Lacina Traore had a chance to increase his team's lead when he received a pinpoint pass from Tosic in the area but Ufa 'keeper Andrei Lunev performed a remarkable diving save to deny his breakaway effort.
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