Mosta left it till late to beat Valletta 1-0 at the Tony Bezzina Stadium on Saturday to claim three precious points in a direct clash between two teams entangled in the battle against relegation.
Mosta leapfrog Valletta, Gzira and Balzan to move eighth, one point ahead of Balzan and two ahead of Valletta, Gzira and Santa Lucia with rivals Naxxar Lions now being just one point ahead of them.
The Blues therefore remain unbeaten in five matches while the Citizens, who were also eliminated by Mosta from the FA Trophy earlier this month, suffer a second consecutive defeat.
Six minutes in the second half, Valletta had an excellent opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty after Jake Vassallo floored Diego Cardoso Nogueira inside the area but the Brazilian’s effort from the penalty spot was parried by David Udoh Akpan.
However one minute in added time, Mosta notched the winner when off a Damian Anene corner from the right, Chidera Henry Nwoga flicked the ball home past goalkeeper Jake Galea.