Salgaocar hung on to a first-half goal to edge past Mumbai FC 1-0 in a 24th round I-league encounter at the Nehru stadium, in Margao, Goa, on Thursday.
The victory helped Salgaocar, with 27 points from 24 matches, move away from the drop zone, while Mumbai FC, with 25 points from 24 matches, found themselves in danger of being relegated.
They still have two more matches to go.
Salgaocar scored the all-important goal in the 15th minute through Ekene Ekenwa.
The victory brought Salgaocar huge big relief as they can now play confidently against Mahindra United in their next away match.