KuPS would have gone within touching distance of successive league titles tonight had they held on for what should have been a routine home win against cut-adrift Gnistan, but having conceded two second-half penalties, they were happy to escape with a 1-1 draw.
KuPS were finding the going tough against Gnistan in the first half - the Helsinki side were ahead in terms of efforts on goal despite having nothing but pride to play for. However, their pride was severely dented just before half-time when they gifted the hosts the opener.
Samuel Pasanen's cross from the right was too close to goalkeeper Oskar Lyberopoulos, only for him to spill the ball at the feet of Otto Ruoppi, who tapped into the empty net.
That's how things stayed until the hour mark, when it was KuPS' turn to present Gnistan with an ideal opportunity to score. Ibrahim Cisse's foul in the box allowed Tim Vayrynen to step up from the spot, but his penalty hit the woodwork and stayed out.
Yet, with 15 minutes to go, KuPS conceded a second penalty when the referee spotted a foul in a crowded penalty area, and this time there would be no mistake from Gnistan, as Roman Eremenko stepped up and rolled the ball home, sending Johannes Kreidl the wrong way.
Gnistan end a run of three losses to move onto 32 points, while KuPS' two-match winning run comes to an end.
Inter Turku to move within a point of KuPS as they failed to hold on with 10 men in their 2-2 draw against SJK, whose title challenge came to an end this evening.
SJK needed to win and hope KuPS lost to stay in the race, but they could not have made a worse start when Samuel Chukwudi brought Mamodou Sarr down inside the area, and Florian Krebs converted the penalty in the third minute.
But on 17 minutes, the visitors were handed a lifeline after a coming together between Jean Botue and Valentin Gasc resulted in the FC Inter man elbowing his opponent in the chest and being handed a straight red card.
The Seinajoki side looked to have made their man advantage count just before the break when Kasper Paananen set up Olatoundji Tessilimi for the equaliser, only for Inter to retake the lead in added time, courtesy of Joonas Kekarainen.
Minute by minute after the break, the home side were closing in on a crucial three points despite the early sending off, but seven minutes from time their hearts were broken when Kevin Appiah Nyarko drew SJK level again with his first goal for two months.
Inter Turku may be four matches unbeaten, but back-to-back draws may have cost them, and they must get something away at KuPS at the weekend to keep their title dreams alive.
SJK are six points behind KuPS in fourth, but with the teams above them facing each other, at least one will surpass the maximum number of points SJK can earn.
The big winners on the night were Ilves, who put in a strong second half performance to beat HJK 3-1 and go second, two points shy of KuPS.
Finding themselves out of the running meant the pressure was off HJK, which became manifest five minutes in when Kaius Simajoki's cross was coolly volleyed through a crowd of defenders by Liam Moller.
But midway through the half, the Tampere side drew level when Roope Riski teed up Tatu Miettunen, who scored his second goal this month having previously not found the net all season.
Five minutes after the restart, Ilves put themselves in the driving seat when Oiva Jukkola clipped the ball over the top, finding the onrushing Maksim Stjopin, who poked the ball beyond Ricardo Friedrich.
Then, 15 minutes later, the Lynx put clear daylight between themselves and the Helsinki side when Matias Rale made it 3-1, sealing a second win in a row for Ilves, while HJK's dreadful form extends to no wins in eight league matches.
Playing a day after the KuPS vs Inter Turku clash, Ilves will know they will either be playing to go top or stay in the title race when they face SJK on Monday.
Follow the final rounds in the Veikkausliiga title race on Flashscore.