Sliema Wanderers registered a fourth win in five matches as an early goal handed them a narrow win over Balzan at the Centenary Stadium on Saturday.
The Wanderers therefore closed in on second-placed Hamrun Spartans as they remain third on 19 points, one behind Hamrun and three ahead of Marsaxlokk and Hibernians but Hamrun and Marsaxlokk have a game in hand.
Balzan remain joint-seventh on 13 points as they suffer a third defeat in five matches.
Samuel Gomes da Mata scored the all-important goal on the 4th minute when he received the ball following an erratic clearance and with a fine curved shot beat goalkeeper Danilo Golovic.