CSKA beat Arsenal to keep Zenit under pressure

Goals by midfielders Alan Dzagoev, Bebars Natcho, Roman Eryomenko and forward Carlos Strandberg set CSKA on their way to a confident win against promoted Arsenal. CSKA remained second with with 43 points from 20 matches, two behind the Zenit, who face third-placed Dynamo on Sunday.

Russian Premier League chiefs switched the match to the synthetic pitch of Lokomotiv Moscow's reserve arena because of the poor quality of Tula's pitch. CSKA got off to a flying start scoring the opening goal in the third minute when Serbian midfielder Zoran Tosic helped the ball on to Dzagoev in the area and the Russian international headed in from close-range.

Two minutes after the interval full back Sergei Ignashevich fed Eryomenko, who back-heeled to Natcho and the Israeli international hammered the ball past visiting keeper Sergei Kotov to make it 2-0. In the 53rd minute Arsenal's Dmitry Starodub found unmarked striker Renat Timokhin in the area to pull a goal back.

But Finland international Eryomenko restored CSKA's two-goal advantage with eight minutes to go, firing home a rebound with a low shot from 18 yards to join Zenit's Salomon Rondon on top of the league scorers' chart with ten goals. The 18-year-old substitute striker Strandberg put the seal on a comfortable three points as he left two Arsenal defenders trailing before hammering the ball past Kotov from 22 yards.

A goal by Quincy Promes gave nine-time former champions Spartak Moscow a narrow 1-0 win over city rivals Torpedo. Promes put Spartak 1-0 up in the 21st minute when he picked a pinpoint pass by Dzhano Anannidze and dribbled into the box despite the presence of two Torpedo defenders to send the ball into the net between goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov's legs.