East Bengal picked up three valuable points with a solitary goal victory over Mahindra United in an I-league exchange in Kolkata on Sunday.
Syed Rahim Nabi, returning to his old position upfront, scored the all-important goal at the floodlit Salt Lake stadium encounter to boost the three time National Football League champions' points tally to 15 from as many games.
The jeepmen, who suffered their fourth loss in the high-profile league, are now lying at fifth slot with 21 points from 15 outings.
However, the result was more vital for East Bengal, who are hovering in the relegation zone. The red and gold brigade have now climbed to eighth spot, with Viva Kerala (12 from 14 games) and Salgaocar Sports Club (seven from 14) trailing them in the 10-team table.
Two teams are set to be demoted to the second division once the league ends on February 23.
East Bengal, who played well, shot into the lead as early as the fifth minute, with Alvito D'Cunha setting up Syed Rahim Nabi with an inviting centre 15 yards from the rival box.
Nabi received the ball inside the box, and with Mahindra defender Bello Rasaq rushing towards him, kept his composure to calmly tap in.
Nabi was again in the spotlight a little later, when he fed Alvito but the latter's shot ballooned over, much to the relief in the Mahindra camp.
East Bengal were all over their opponents in the first session, and could have scored in the third minute itself when the hardworking Snehasish Chakraborty essayed a measured cross from the left, but Mehtab Hossain's header was off target.
The Mumbai outfit had their backs to the wall and their only opening half chance came in the 34th minute, but East Bengal custodian Subrata Paul rose to the occasion to thwart a Sushil Singh effort in an one-to-one situation.
Mahindra pressed on the accelerator after the breather in their search for the equaliser and carried out a series of attacks into the East Bengal half.
However, the visitor's attacks did not reap fruits with their forwards not able to go for the kill, despite putting the East Bengal defence under tremendous pressure.
The tourists seemed hamstrung by the absence of their lethal striker Yusif Yakubu, who has been sitting out for quite some time due to an injury.
After playing a good first half, East Bengal looked rather lacklustre as time wore on, with their midfield almost non-existent.
