Urawa Reds gave themselves some breathing space at the top of the J. League after a 2-1 home win over lowly Avispa Fukuoka on Sunday.
Defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka broke the deadlock midway through the first half in Saitama and Brazilian striker Washington pounced to finish the job and pull Urawa five points clear of Gamba Osaka.
With seven games remaining, Urawa leads the standings on 61 points with Gamba, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday on 56, and Kawasaki Frontale in third on 54.
Defeat for Fukuoka further increased its relegations worries as the result left the squad 11 points adrift of fourth-from-bottom Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who cruised past FC Tokyo 5-2 in the day's other game.