Anjan Rai scored a double as Nepal Police Club saw off relegation-threatened Friends Club 2-1 to climb to fourth position in the Martyrs Memorial A-Division League on Monday.

After limping back and forth in the relegation zone for 16 rounds, Police have reinvented their mojo winning five of their last six matches to almost guarantee their stay in the country’s top tier league.

It took Police only three minutes to go in front at the Dasharath Stadium when defender Anjan Rai headed in a free kick from Saujan Rai.

Bikash Thapa levelled the score in the 21st minute converting a pass from Amit Tamang with a one-touch finish.

But Anjan put Police back in the lead in the 35th minute with a brilliant header off a corner from Saujan.

The result gave Police 31 points from 22 matches.

Friends stayed in the 13th position with 24 points.

Khumaltar Youth Club lie at the bottom despite their 2-1 comeback victory over Himalayan Sherpa.

Abayomi Oluwaseun Fakunle put Sherpa ahead in the sixth minute flicking the ball with his head past Khumaltar goalkeeper Rajkumar Limbu after Manuel Nana Agyomang’s header off a corner from Khamir Gilsan Kandangwa came his way.

Khumaltar scored the equaliser in the 17th minute when Messouke Oloumou slipped behind Sherpa defenders and bent the course of a header from Abhishek Limbu into the near post from point blank range.

Oloumou now leads the goal-scoring chart with 16 goals.

Oloumou could have extended his goal tally to 17 from the spot kick in the 68th minute when Khumaltar were awarded the penalty after Sherpa’s Amrit Shrestha handled the ball inside the box. But Sherpa goalkeeper Kishor Giri denied him the opportunity to put Khumaltar in the lead with a brilliant dive.

Stephane Samir Binong completed the comeback in the 76th minute with a stunning acrobatic effort. Binong pounced on a weak clearance from Sherpa’s Suresh Kumal to control the ball with his chest before blasting it into the back of the net.