Lokomotiv Moscow started the season with some good momentum after winning the Russian Cup a few months earlier and hit the ground running in the opening month with four wins in a row, most impressively seeing off CSKA Moscow away from home for a 3:1 success. They continued the trend of winning at tough places as they secured the points against Spartak Moscow a few weeks later in a stunning 4:3 success.
Yet some unexpected setbacks against poor sides like Tosno and Amkar Perm kept Loko behind early leaders Zenit. Yet it was clear that Yuri Semin had a potent and well-balanced team that was ready to fight for honours. The revelation of the season was Anton Miranchuk, an energetic and combative midfielder who really broke through just as his more famous brother Alexey Miranchuk, assumed leadership role in the team alongside him in midfield. Further behind, the likes of Igor Denisov and Solomon Kverkvelia were imperative in ensuring that Loko had a solidly and were not prone to counterattacks.
Loko gained further traction in the autumn as Zenit began to falter and a stunning 3:0 win in Saint Petersburg against the Light Blues turned the tables in the race for the title. Loko never really looked back once they assumed leadership and they finished the calendar year with a brilliant run of six wins and a draw in seven games. That meant that they had a mammoth eight-point lead going into the winter break, with their fans suddenly all confident and expecting of their first title since 2004. The extra added pressure did not seem to bother Semin's charges initially as they got a few wins under the belt initially.
Yet the wheels began to come off in April as a surprise loss to strugglers Amkar was followed by drab draws against Ufa and Akhmat. Lokomotiv were now failing to find the back of the net and looking quite pedestrian in games. Yet they eventually got over the line, mostly due to main rivals Spartak Moscow being in poor form at a crucial point of the season. It was a dramatic 1:0 home win over Zenit a week before the end that eventually sealed the deal for the Railwaymen. They come away as undoubtedly the deserved champions but will have to bolster the squad if they are serious about defending their tittle next season.
