Mosta 4 Ħamrun 1

Scorers - Mosta: Campagnoli 8; Mitev 36, 42; Aboulezz 59

Ħamrun: Bozhov 59

Mosta produced a superb first-half display of attacking football to sweep Ħamrun at Ta' Qali this evening.

Danail Mitev was the catalyst behind Mosta's emphatic victory as the Bulgarian midfielder ran the show with his exquisite distribution of the ball. The playmaker, signed after leaving Sliema Wanderers, also found time to put his name on the score sheet with two fine strikes.

The Spartans were fastest out of the blocks as Terence Vella took just 22 seconds to prise open the opposing defence, only to see his grounder rattle the foot of the post.

But Ħamrun faded badly after the brightest of starts as Mosta gradually worked their way into the game. Having been awarded a foul on Daniel Bogadnovic deep into Ħamrun'shalf, the former Blackpool player smashed a left-foot free-kick which bent over the wall but Anthony Curmi up to the task to tip the ball over the bar after eight minutes.

From the ensuing corner, Carlos Campagnoli profiting from Ħamrun's lax marking to direct a header past Hamrun goaler Curmi.

The outstanding Danail Mitev deepened Ħamrun's woe in the 36th minute, blasting a fulminating free-kick into the top left corner and beyond the fingertips of keeper Curmi.

So one-sided became the clash that four minutes before the break, Mitev easily dancing his way inside the Reds box, past a clutch of defenders, to roll his shot calmly past Curmi.

The second half began as the first ended. Substitute Jonathan Bajada showed great strength to hold off Daniel Zerafa only see his delicate shot deflected into corner.

And there was no let-up in Mosta's thrust as Firas Aboulezz made it 4-0 in the 59th minute, when Mitev and Bajada carved open the Spartans with another neat passing movement down the right and the unmarked striker could only head the ball past the hapless goalkeeper.

Nikolay Bozhov was surprised as everyone else when he pulled one back after 70 minutes when he took Vella's pass and curled it past Haber for a stylish consolation goal.