Valletta tightened their grip on top spot last weekend with a straightforward 2-0 victory over Balzan who finished the match with 10 men after Bledjon Guga was dismissed in the second half.

Goals by debutant Aleksandrs Cekulajevs and Roderick Briffa sent City seven points clear of Hibs who were unable to narrow the gap back to four points after being held to a 0-0 draw by third-placed Floriana.

The difference between the top two sides now stands at six points with one game remaining before the end of the league’s first phase.

Birkirkara and Sliema Wanderers secured their place in the Championship Pool with identical 3-1 wins, leaving Balzan and Qormi to fight for the final top-six spot.

The Stripes saw off relegation candidates Tarxien Rainbows 3-1.

Jorge gave Birkirkara an early lead before Shawn Bajada struck twice either side of half-time to put Birkirkara’s minds at rest. Daniel Mariano Bueno scored Tarxien’s consolation late in the game.

Qormi went into their clash with Sliema chasing a victory that would have significantly improved their top-six chances while the Blues knew that three points would gua-rantee them a place in the Cham-pionship Pool.

Sliema raced into a two-goal lead early in the second half courtesy of Emiliano Lattes and Nikola Bogdanovic.

Qormi resurrected their hopes when Joseph Farrugia scored from the penalty spot. In a tense finale, Sliema’s Beppe Muscat and Qormi defender Roderick Sammut were both sent off but it was the Blues who had the final say when substitute Anicet Eyenga sealed their win in stoppage time.

Mosta further boosted their survival hopes with a 3-0 defeat of Mqabba who slumped to their second consecutive defeat.

Obinna Obiefule maintained his scoring form when hitting a brace. The Nigerian forward netted a penalty in the second half to atone for his earlier miss from the spot.

Ian Zammit notched Mosta’s third and final goal in a match that produced two red cards after Mqabba’s David Fenech and Mosta midfielder Florent Raimy were expelled in the first half.

Ħamrun and Marsaxlokk threw up an eight-goal bonanza with the Spartans on the winning end of a 6-2 scoreline.

Marsaxlokk led twice, goals by Jean Paul Farrugia and Peter Taiye Oladotun sandwiching Gianluca Calabretta’s effort for the Reds in the first half. The Spartans produced a spirited rally in the second period to outclass Marsaxlokk.

After Massimo Grima made it 2-2, Calabretta scored again before Grima completed his brace with a calibrated free-kick.

Dene Shields and Ron Hartvig rounded off the Spartans’ second-half blitz.

Premier League statistics

Scorers, red cards

Balzan Youths: Pedrinho 6 (1 pen), Ciantar 6; Bright 5; Grima 2; Tasic, Camilleri, Farrugia, Forace, Bernardes.
Own goal: Camilleri (vs Ħamrun).
Red cards: Pedrinho (vs Qormi, vs Mqabba), Francica (vs Hibs; vs Sliema), Forace (vs Tarxien), C. Ciantar (vs Valletta, vs Floriana), Guga (vs Valletta).

Birkirkara: Avila-Perez 10; Cilia 4 (3 pens); Grech 2, Pereira 2, Vella 2 (1 pen), Jorge 2, Bajada 2; Buhagiar, Zerafa, Muscat, Fenech, Haruna, Mifsud Triganza, Camilleri.
Red cards: Decesare (vs Mosta), Grech (vs Qormi), Avila Perez, Bajada (vs Mosta), Decesare, Pereira (vs Hibs).

Floriana: Caruana 6, Grabowski 6; Woods 5 (2 pens); Micallef 3; Cassar 2, Mintoff 2, J. Borg 2; Odwong, Farrugia, Darmanin, Sodje, C. Borg, Alandson.
Own goal: Everton (vs Tarxien).
Red cards: Amamoo (vs Sliema); Bartolo (vs Birkirkara, vs Balzan), Akoto (vs Qormi).

Ħamrun Spartans: Grima 7; Ribeiro 6, Shields 6 (2 pens); Calabretta 3; Sammut 2; Luis Silva, Toneto Porcari, Agius, Polli, Hartvig.
Own goal: Bugeja (vs Floriana).
Red cards: Agius (vs Balzan), Polli (vs Birkirkara), Sammut (vs Balzan), Borg (vs Qormi).

Hibs: Edison 18 (1 pen); Failla 11 (1 pen); Cohen 6; Pisani 3, Anizoba 3; Caruana 2, Soares 2, Lima 2; Herrera, Dias.
Red cards: Pulis (vs Valletta), Dias (vs Birkirkara).

Marsaxlokk: Deanov 4; Templeman 3 (2 pens), Farrugia 3; Lattes 2; Kokavessis, Campagnoli, Pedrozo, Oladotun.
Red cards: Templeman (vs Hibs), Brincat (vs Qormi), Valeriani (vs Valletta).

Mosta: Obiefule 18 (1 pen; 10 goals for Marsaxlokk); Zammit 5 (1 pen); Martin 3, Mvondo 3; Aboulezz, Arilson, Borg.
Own goal: Buhagiar (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Ossok (vs Hibs); Tisbi (vs Qormi), Martin (vs Tarxien), Raimy (vs Mqabba).

Mqabba: Mamic 8 (1 pen); Mazzitelli 7 (1 pen); Nwoba 2; Azzopardi, Briffa, Potezica, Bonnici, Timotic, Muscat, Sammut.
Red cards: Mazzitelli (vs Marsaxlokk), Mamic (vs Hibs), Timotic (vs Hibs), Psaila (vs Qormi), Fenech (vs Mosta).

Qormi: Farrugia 10 (5 pens); Jorginho 10 (2 pens); Bello Osagie 5; Nwoke 4; Bondin 2; Bartolo, Sciberras, Caio.
Red cards: Duff (vs Birkirkara), Jorginho (vs Floriana), Sammut (vs Sliema).

Sliema: Mitev 8 (4 pens); Lima 4, Bajada 4; Jorge 3; Mifsud Triganza 2, Ani 2, Frendo 2; Scerri, Galabov, Fenech, A. Muscat, Lattes, Bogdanovic, Eyenga.
Red cards: Scerri (vs Hibs), Grech (vs Floriana), Mitev (vs Marsaxlokk; vs Balzan), Mifsud (vs Hibs, vs Tarxien), B. Muscat (vs Birkirkara, vs Qormi).

Tarxien: Bueno 7 (1 pen); Ricardo 6 (1 pen); Mayasi 3 (1 pen); Anonam 2, Galvao 2, Carabott 2, Pulo 2; Everton.
Own goal: Pereira (vs Birkirkara).
Red cards: Anonam (vs Mosta), Costa (vs Balzan; Mosta), Caio (vs Valletta).

Valletta: Denni 9, Effiong 9; Mifsud 7 (1 pen), Barbosa 7 (1 pen); Zongo 6; Borg 4 (1 pen); Briffa 3; Pace 2, G. Agius 2; Caruana, Cekulajevs.
Red cards: G. Agius, Borg, Fenech (vs Hibs).

Next fixtures

U*Bet FA Trophy QFs
Saturday: National Stadium – 14.00 Pietà vs Qormi; 16.00 Hibs vs Floriana.
Sunday: Hibs Stadium – 14.00 Ħamrun vs St George’s; 16.00 Valletta vs Mosta.

Standings