Reigning champions Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow beat strugglers SKA Khabarovsk and Akhmat Grozny respectively on Sunday to cut the gap to Russian league leaders Lokomotiv Moscow to five points.

Brazilian midfielder Fernando netted the winner for Spartak in a 1-0 victory over bottom side SKA, while Alexander Golovin, Vitinho and Sergei Ignashevich scored as Lokomotiv defeated Akhmat Grozny 3-0.

Lokomotiv however can restore their eight-point advantage at the top on Monday when they visit Ural Yekaterinburg.

Spartak dominated play at their Otkrytie Arena but were frustrated by combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Alexander Dovbnya, who saved a first-half spot-kick by Dutchman Quincy Promes.

SKA looked to be on course to end a seven-match losing streak, but Fernando fired home a free-kick in the 90th minute to snatch a vital three points for Spartak.

"It's extremely hard to play against the teams that sit in defence throughout the match," Spartak manager Massimo Carrera said.

"Unfortunately we squandered plenty of chances, including the penalty kick, but our persistence eventually paid off and we claimed this hard-fought win."

CSKA made a bright start at Grozny as Golovin opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an angled shot from 10 yards out.

Brazilian Vitinho netted CSKA's second in the 28th minute with a low shot from just outside the area, and the 38-year-old Ignashevich sealed victory in the second half from a Bebras Natcho corner.

"We capitalised on Akhmat's defensive blunders," CSKA head coach Viktor Gancharenko said. "The hosts also could have scored today but in general our win looks logical."

Roberto Mancini's Zenit St Petersburg suffered another blow to their fading title hopes after a 0-0 draw at Rostov, their third straight goalless stalemate in the Premier League.

"We faced this problem last year as (Alexander) Kokorin is our team's only goalscorer," Mancini told Russian TV. "Our dependence on him is a serious problem.

"I've asked (the club chiefs) to purchase more goalscorers but they haven't arrived yet. This problem has been going on for a month already."