Anzhi close on play-off certainty

Big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala moved a step closer to securing a potentially lucrative top-eight finish in the Russian Premier League today despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Spartak Nalchik. Mbark Boussoufa put the visitors ahead in the 28th minute and, although Magomed Mitrishev snatched a last-gasp equaliser for the hosts, the draw left eighth-placed Anzhi seven points clear of ninth-spotted Krasnodar with three games remaining in the regular season. The 16-team league will split into two groups of eight in the new year - the championship play-off and the relegation play-off. Seventh-placed Kuban Krasnodar had already secured their top-half finish before today's 3-1 reverse at 11th-spotted Amkar Perm. Nikola Mijailovic set the hosts on their way in the fourth minute and Josip Knezevic gave them breathing space with a 58th-minute spot-kick before Aleksandr Kolomeytsev bagged a third goal 15 minutes from time. Gheorghe Bucur netted a late consolation for Dan Petrescu's Kuban but it was too little, too late. Fourth-placed Lokomotiv Moscow heaped further misery on Tomsk by beating the bottom club 3-0. The visitors had Ovidiu Dananae sent off after 19 minutes and were further punished a minute later when Senijad Ibricic converted a penalty, with second-half strikes from Dennis Glushakov and Dmitri Sychev sinking the ten men. Rubin Kazan moved within a point of fifth-placed Spartak Moscow by also recording a 3-0 home win. Cristian Noboa opened the scoring eight minutes after the interval and Alexander Ryazantsev doubled Rubin's advantage five minutes later. Spartak's woes were compounded moments later by a red card for Emmanuel Emenike, and Bebras Natkho rubbed salt in their wounds with a third goal in the 90th minute.