The three leading teams in the BOV Premier League powered on relentlessly as Valletta maintained their one-point lead at the top with a 2-0 win over Sliema Wanderers while nearest pursuers Hibernians and Birkirkara kept the pace with resounding victories over Ħamrun Spartans and Mosta respectively.

Valletta made it three wins in a row after scoring a goal in each half to see off the Wanderers on Saturday. Demba Toure opened his City account early on before Jonathan Caruana sealed the points with a fine header in the second half.

Hibernians were in rampant form against Ħamrun as the Paolites hit six past the ailing Reds at the Tedesco Stadium.

Andrew Cohen capped a man-of-the-match display with a brace and the other goals for the Paolites came from Clayton Failla, Jackson Lima, Jean Paul Farrugia and a Bledjon Guga own goal. Terrence Vella had temporarily pulled a goal back for the relegation-threatened Spartans.

Birkirkara and Mosta ended a week of tangling over the protracted transfer of goalkeeper Justin Haber when they faced each other on Saturday.

The Stripes, who did not include Haber in their squad, tore apart the depleted Blues in a 7-1 win.

Jhonnattann hit a hat-trick and Shola Shodiya Haruna netted a brace while Edward Herrera and Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza completed the rout.

Meanwhile, Balzan lost precious ground in their fight for a Championship Pool berth after being held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-placed Rabat Ajax.

With three matches left, Balzan are now four points adrift of sixth-placed Sliema, and two ahead of Qormi who came from behind to beat Tarxien Rainbows 2-1 with Moises Avila-Perez netting a spectacular winner in stoppage time.

In the other league match of the weekend, Floriana and Melita did little to improve their placing in the standings after cancelling each other out in a goalless draw.

Statistics

Balzan FC
Elton 13 (4 pens); Pedrinho 8 (1 pen); Caruana 2, Licari 2; Mendy, Deanov, Pace, Forace, Camilleri, Conceicao.
Red cards: Conceicao (vs Ħamrun), Licari (vs Hibs), Pace (vs Sliema), Forace (vs Mosta), Camilleri (vs Rabat).

Birkirkara
Jhonnattann 9 (1 pen); Haruna 7 (2 pens), Mifsud Triganza 7; Vukanac 5; Herrera 2, R. Muscat 2, Joselito 2, Sciberras 2, Camenzuli 2, Fenech 2; Z. Muscat, Scicluna.
Red cards: Scicluna (vs Balzan), Fenech (vs Ħamrun), Herrera (vs Qormi).

Floriana
Darmanin 8 (now Balzan); Wasiu 4, Verma 4; Cilia 2, Coronado 2; Alhinho, Brown, Jeffers, Spiteri, Bugeja.
Red cards: Brown (vs Rabat), K. Farrugia (vs Mosta), Alhinho (vs Hibs).

Ħamrun Spartans
Grima 5 (3 pens), Vella 5; Lumbilla 3, Calabretta 3; Scerri, Bozhov, Zerafa, Spiteri, Camilleri (pen), Yoshev, Fenech.
Own goal: Gribbon (vs Melita).
Red cards: Fenech (vs Floriana), Cassar (vs Tarxien), Vitanov (vs Sliema), Cassar (vs Qormi).

Hibernians
Lima 8 (2 pens); Cohen 7; Failla 6; Pulis 3, Ribeiro 3, Dias 3, Farrugia 3; Pisani, Soares, Levnaic, Nwoba, Kristensen, Camilleri, Bezzina, Kardeck.
Own goal: Guga (vs Ħamrun).
Red cards: Muscat (vs Balzan), Dias (vs Balzan), Pulis (vs Tarxien, vs Mosta), Nwoko (vs Melita), Dias (vs Birkirkara), Soares (vs Valletta).

Melita
Armaro Negrin 5 (now Rabat); L. Micallef 4; Galea 2; Vukanic (pen), Sammut, Sierra Camacho, Cabanillas.
Own goal: Pace (vs Balzan).
Red cards: Vukanic (vs Valletta), Sierra Camacho (vs Tarxien), Valenzia (vs Valletta), Sammut (vs Balzan).

Mosta
Obiefule 11 (1 pen); Mitev 6; Bogdanovic 5 (1 pen); Aboulezz 2, Apap 2, Zongo 2 (1 pen), Campagnoli 2; Bajada, Chiemeka.
Own goal: Bello-Osagie (vs Qormi).
Red cards: Grech (vs Sliema), Aboulezz (vs Floriana), Dimech (vs Balzan).

Qormi
Bello-Osagie 7; Pisani 4; Spiteri 3, Siritto 3, Chetcuti 3; Thackray 2, Zarate 2; Grech, Effiong, Avila-Perez.

Rabat Ajax
Armaro Negrin 3; Astrauskas 2, Fuster 2, Felice 2 (1 pen); Smeir, Carapic, Borg.
Red cards: Borg (vs Floriana), Brincat (vs Sliema Wanderers).

Sliema Wanderers
Woods 9 (3 pens); Faccini 4; Ruggiero 3, Ciantar 3; Muchardi 2; El Ghaouti, Barbetti, A. Muscat, Timotic, Gatt Baldacchino, Laudisi, Mifsud, Martinelli.
Red cards: Scerri (vs Floriana), Bonello (vs Floriana), Ruggiero (vs Valletta).

Tarxien Rainbows
Bueno 10 (2 pens); Danilo 7; Evaldo 5, Andrezinho 5; Anonam 2; Tanti 2; Pulo, Bonnici, Danilo, Bajada.
Red cards: Danilo (vs Sliema), Evaldo (vs Birkirkara).

Valletta
Mifsud 11 (2 pens); Gabriel 5, Denni 5; Fenech 3; Leandro 2, Briffa 2, Zammit 2 (1 pen), Barbosa 2 (1 pen), Caruana 2; Ricardo, Borg, Ogunnuppe, Toure.
Own goal: Tufegdzic (vs Melita).

Fixtures, standings
Saturday (National Stadium): Rabat vs Floriana 14.00; Valletta vs Ħamrun 16.00.
Sunday (Hibs Stadium): Hibs vs Balzan 14.00; Sliema vs Birkirkara 16.00.
Monday (Tedesco Stadium): Melita vs Tarxien 18.00; Qormi vs Mosta 20.15.