Birkirkara 1 Marsaxlokk 0
The Stripes recovered from their shock defeat against Sliema as Moises Avila-Perez scored his ninth goal of the season to help Birkirkara overcome Marsaxlokk to go joint-fourth with the Blues.
By contrast, Marsaxlokk remained rooted at the basement of the league table with just 11 points and their winless run extends to seven games.
Without the injured Terence Vella, and the suspended duo Gareth Sciberras and Joseph Zerafa, Birkirkara's resources were stretched – four nursery graduates were on the bench - forcing Paul Zammit to reconfigure his side.
Brazilian midfielder Jorge was handed his Birkirkara debut from the start after signing from Sliema earlier this week.
The Stripes filed his registration documents hours before the match, allowing him to play on the left of a three-pronged attack with Moises Avila-Perez and Trevor Cilia.
In the last five games, the team had scored only once, with the Stripes stripped of the sense that inevitably they will find the net.
Yet that feeling was short-lived at the Victor Tedesco Stadium with Avila-Perez finding the opener was just five minutes. His marker Jonathan Xerri did not get close to Avila-Perez at an Alan Tabone free-kick and the Spaniard headed in at the near post.
On paper, it seemed they could not get an easier opportunity to bounce back to winning ways with crisis club Marsaxlokk having won only once in six matches.
Although Marsaxlokk started poorly, they troubled Birkirkara a couple of times in the first half in particular when Gary Caruana headed Stoskovic's cross against the crossbar after 12 minutes with the anxious Reuben Gauci totally wrong-footed and the same player nodded a through pass from the same player wide with the goal at his mercy few minutes later.
At the very start of the second half, Jorge swung a cross towards the far post and Shawn Bajada ghosted in behind Trevor Templeman to steer the ball out.
Birkirkara felt the sense of command. In the 53rd minute, Cilia threaded a neat ball into the path of the onrushing Avila-Perez but Modesto Valeriani somehow got onto ball before the Spaniard to clear the danger.
Four minutes later, Jorge delivered a perfect ball, picking out the run of Avila-Perez who feebly hit his shot directly at the goalkeeper.
Avila-Perez then turned provider when he put a delightful back-heel flick into the path of substitute Leighton Grech with the goal at his mercy but the nippy striker shot high after 73 minutes.
Six minutes from time, an out-of-sorts Avila-Perez prodded tentatively across goal when well-placed just a few metres out.
Holding to a slim lead, seemed to fill Birkirkara with nerves in the final minutes and in the end, they were grateful for the one goal they had.