Valletta 2 Mqabba 1

Steve Borg's winner three minutes from time rescued leaders Valletta as they came from behind to claim full points against Mqabba.

Jesmond Zerafa's side looked set to be on the receiving end of a shock result after Mqabba belied their poor form – one victory in the last ten matches – to leave Valletta on the brink of a second defeat in the premier league.

John Nwoba had set the tone for an uncomfortable evening when he gave Mqabba the lead after only 8 minutes and the City's response was one shot in the first half an hour.

That early goal enhanced Mqabba's plans of trusting in a conservative 4-4-1-1 formation as Mizzi planned a protracted resistance.

The immediate and practical consequence of that selection was evident as Valletta laid siege to the Mqabba goal in search of the equaliser but their stubborn defence held firm. Even if Valletta were highly familiar with such schemes, they struggled to find their groove.

And it was not before the 27th minute when Valletta had the first glimpse of Mqabba's goal when Michael Mifsud forced a smart save from Kris Calleja with a low drive. Few moments later, the nippy striker turned provider and swung in a dangerous cross from the left and William Barbosa rose above his marker but his header failed to trouble Calleja in goal.

Just before half-time, Edmond Agius went close for Valletta but his grounder was just off the target.

The gulf in class remained stark after the break, though Valletta had to wait until the 51st minute to trouble the Mqabba rearguard when Barbosa swerved a dangerous cross into the area from the flank but Branislav Timotic was well-placed to clear off the line.

Zerafa's thoughts on Valletta's performance were reflected in his bold decision to replace Edmond Agius and Oussaine Zongo with Gilbert Agius and Alfred Effiong after 54 minutes.

And that double substitution paid instant dividends. Agius ran onto Mifsud's lofted pass before squaring for Effiong. Fastening onto the pass from Agius, the Nigerian striker surged into the box but his shot was kept out by Calleja, only for the ball to fall kindly into Mifsud's path who somehow managed to find the net with a low shot.

Mqabba were on the back foot after Valletta stepped up the pressure, with Calleja saving acrobatically from Mifsud after 79 minutes.

The goal did not appear to deflate Mqabba. Their compact defensive set-up was up to the task to keep the white-shirted players at bay.

But as Valletta fell into a lull– largely because Mqabba were reading their attacking tactics – it was Steve Borg who sparked the game into life three minutes from time.

Borg, had been relatively quite up until that point, but in 87th minute, the defender saw the ball fall on his feet following a poor defence clearance before he let fly an unstoppable shot that soared into the top corner of Calleja's goal.