Elyaniv Barda came to Hapoel Beersheba’s rescue once more on Monday night, scoring the crucial opener in a 2-0 victory over Bnei Yehuda at Turner Stadium to reestablish a five-point gap over Maccabi Tel Aviv at the summit of the Premier League standings.

Barda was responsible for the breakthrough in a wet night in Beersheba in the 55th minute of the match, finding the back of the net for a fourth straight game over all competitions.

The 34-year-old took his tally for the season to 13 league goals and yet again gave his team the lead when it was struggling to convert its dominant possession into scoring opportunities.

Barda also netted the opener in each of the team’s previous three contests, the 2-0 league win over Maccabi Netanya, 2-0 State Cup quarterfinal first leg triumph over Beitar Tel Aviv/ Ramle and 2-1 victory against Hapoel Haifa last week.

Beersheba couldn’t find a way past Bnei Yehuda’s defense in the first half on Monday, as was the case when the teams drew 0-0 in their first meeting of the season.

However, after a sluggish first half display, Beersheba moved up a gear after the break and Barda surged into the box and scored the opener with a clever finish.

Vova Broun put the icing on the cake in stoppage time with a splendid effort from the edge of the box.

Beersheba continued its superb run by claiming a 17th win from its past 19 matches, picking up 53 of a possible 57 points. It extended the club record winning streak to seven matches, with its last defeat coming five months ago.