Six-time Russian champions CSKA Moscow claimed a 2-0 away win at Anzhi Makhachkala on Friday to keep tabs on the Russian Premier League leaders Zenit St Petersburg.

The result lifted CSKA into third, still six points adrift of Zenit, who visit Dynamo Moscow on Sunday, and are level on points with second-placed Krasnodar, who take on Akhmat Grozny this weekend.

CSKA took the lead right after the half-hour mark when Alan Dzagoev found the unmarked Nikola Vlasic in the area and the Croat slotted the ball inside the left post with a hard, low shot.

The hosts replied positively and poured forwards in attack in attempt to pull the scores level but to no avail as the CSKA defence produced a focussed display.

In the 72nd minute Fyodor Chalov scored his eighth goal of the season from close range off a short cross by Mario Fernandes.

"We needed to be creative in Anzhi's area," CSKA head coach Viktor Gancharenko said. "After we opened the score our job got easier.

"We needed to play smart football, to be in control and we did that well."

Elsewhere, Russia's reigning champions Lokomotiv Moscow extended their winning streak in the league to three matches with a 2-1 home win over Rostov boosting their morale ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match with Porto.

Anton Miranchuk put the railway-backed side 1-0 up in the 26th minute with a close-range angled shot following Rostov's mix-up in defence.

But the hosts' lead lasted just one minute as the visitors' left back Sverrir Ingason of Iceland pulled the scores level sending home a rebound after a corner.

Georgian international full-back Slomon Kverkvelia netted Lokomotiv's winner just before the hour mark also firing home a rebound after Rotov goalie Ilya Abayev parried an overhead shot by Dmitry Barinov.

"It was a very difficult game," Lokomotiv boss Yury Syomin said. "Rostov are a physically strong team, and they defended well threatening on the counter-attacks.

"But after the break we dominated the game completely and, in my opinion, won deservedly."