Sentence:  Mancini's men were far from their best but dug in to earn a 10th win in 11 league games and an eighth successive victory in all competitions to <WSD>maintain</WSD> their five-point lead at the top of the table. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.). (from 14thc.)