Second-half goals from Yuki Abe and Rafael Silva eased the pressure on their manager Mihailo Petrovic as Urawa Reds came from behind to beat bottom club Albirex Niigata 2-1 in the J-League first-division on Sunday night.

Kei Koizumi gave Niigata a shock lead late in the first half at Saitama Stadium, but Yuki Abe lashed home the equalizer on 74 minutes and former Niigata striker Silva poked in the winner moments later to spare Reds blushes.

"We conceded and I think probably everyone thought, 'Oh no here we go again,' but we showed strong spirit and everyone ran for the team and each other and we won through in the end," Abe said.

The result moved Reds onto 29 points, nine behind leaders Cerezo Osaka, while Niigata's sixth consecutive defeat keeps them rooted to the foot of the table with eight points, six adrift of the safety zone.

Reds came into the match having won only once in their last six league outings and Petrovic reportedly told a group of angry fans after Wednesday's 4-1 hammering at Kawasaki Frontale he would "be the first to leave" if the club did not get back to winning ways against Albirex.

Reds dominated from the outset but Silva missed a golden chance to open the scoring on 13 minutes against his former club when he sent a free header over the bar from six yards out.

He then stung Tatsuya Morita's palms with a rasping dive from just outside the box, but Niigata took the lead following a rare raid in the 35th minute.

The counterattack was broken up in the final third, but former Japan striker Kisho Yano picked up the loose ball and sent it into the danger zone. Reds keeper Shusaku Nishikawa dived to push the ball clear but it hit Niigata striker Ryohei Yamazaki and fell to Koizumi to tap into an empty net at the far post.

Teruki Hara nearly doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime with a long-range effort that fizzed over the crossbar and Yamazaki tried in his luck in the 55th minute with a deflected effort that was well held by Nishikawa.

Reds hit back when Abe smashed home after Ryota Moriwaki's shot had come back off the right-hand post before Silva hit the winner.

Morita could only parry Silva's header following a corner from Yosuke Kashiwagi and the Brazilian reacted quickest to bundle home the loose ball.