Salgaocar who dominated the first half  took the lead in the 37th minute through Francis Fernandes after his shot from just outside box was spilled by goalekeeper Vinay Singh.

Three minutes later, Churchill Brothers equalised through via a penalty from captain Odafe Okolie after he was brought down by defender Irungbam Meitei inside the box.

Salgoacar though found the lead agin in stoppage time of the first half through Ryuji Sueoka who guided the ball into the back of the net off a pass from Yusif Yakubu.

Churchill brothers defence who did well to soak up the pressure in the absence of their reliable defender Gouramangi Singh but fell just short after failing to overcome a polished Salgaocar performance.

The match was stopped for five minutes when Salgaocar defender Govin singh laid motionless after Denzil Franco shot hit his face while going for an aerial ball and referee A Rowan had to summon ambulance to shift him to the hospital.

With the win, Salgaocar moved three points clear of Churchill, having played two games less.

In another match, a brace from Badmas Babatunde helped ONGC came from behind to edge past JCT 2-1.

Babatunde found the back of the net in the 54th and 90th minute with the JCT goal coming from Ajay Singh in the 40th.

The win helped ONGC move up one place to thirteenth on 18 points from 22 matches, while JCT are now placed last with 17 points from 20 matches.