Matthew Devine's try seven minutes from time saw Connacht edge past the Ospreys in a 21-14 arm-wrestle at Dexcom Stadium, as Stuart Lancaster's side maintained their impressive recent form.
The province made it five wins in a row for the first time since 2018 as they gave their Champions Cup qualification hopes a shot in the arm, while delivering a hammer blow to the Welsh side's chances of breaking into the play-offs.
In a game dominated by a swirling Sportsground wind, scrum-half Devine was the hero after he was played in by the excellent Sean Naughton for the winning try on 73 minutes, after they had previously led 7-0 and 14-7 thanks to two tries from man of the match Shamus Hurley-Langton.
For the second week in a row, Lancaster will point to a determined defensive effort which laid the foundations for the win, with Connacht surviving a nervy final 10 minutes before half-time when they were pinned back deep into their own 22.
The win isn't enough for the province to break into the top half of the table, with the Bulls and the Lions both winning on Saturday afternoon, but it leaves them ready to pounce on any mistakes from their rivals in the final four games, after the Champions and Challenge Cup break.
Playing into the breeze in the opening half, Connacht hit the ground running in the opening minutes with Josh Murphy and Darragh Murray both logging powerful carries, leading to a penalty and a first real chance in the 22.
Another penalty followed, and after Connacht kicked to the corner, Bundee Aki got the over the gainline, before Murray and Murphy again gained ground, and Hurley-Langton squeezed over the line for the opening try, converted by Naughton to make it 7-0 on 10 minutes.
An injury for Finn Treacy (above) caused a reshuffle of the backline, with Jack Carty coming in at out-half, Josh Ioane going to full-back and Naughton pivoting to the wing, and it threw Connacht off midway through the first half as the Ospreys grew into the game.
Ospreys wing Dan Asende made a break down the right wing, which led to a penalty and a sustained period of pressure, and it was Asende who eventually wormed his way over for a try on 23 minutes, which Dan Edwards converted for 7-7.
The visitors were well on top by now, as Connacht's discipline fell apart, and a series of penalties - first in open play and then two at the scrum - saw the hosts pinned back on their own line for more than 10 minutes, only for Shane Jennings to come up with a brilliant jackal turnover.
Right on half time, it looked like the Ospreys would take a lead into the break when captain Jac Morgan crossed the line, but after a TMO check it was ruled the final pass from Edwards was forward, much to the relief of the Dexcom Stadium crowd.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, with a Huw Sutton knock-on from the restart giving Connacht prime field position from which they scored their second try; Hurley-Langton again forced his way over from close range after a clever play down the blindside, and Naughton converted to make it 14-7 after 45 minutes.
Still on a discipline warning from the first half, Connacht were reduced to 14 players on 48 minutes when Darragh Murray was yellow-carded after an infringement in the 22, and the Ospreys eventually made that numerical advantage count just before his return as Luke Morgan's try, and a conversion by Edwards, levelled the game once again.
Connacht dominated possession in the final quarter, but a determined Welsh side kept repelling them, until Devine's intelligence swung things back in favour of the hosts.
The province earned a penalty just inside the Ospreys half, and a quick-thinking Devine instantly tapped the ball and ran, tackled by Jac Morgan early as the Welsh captain picked up a yellow card which saw him miss the remainder of the game.
Naughton's shot at goal from that penalty drifted wide, but the full-back instantly made up for that off the restart when he took a pass from Carty and broke through the Ospreys defence with a powerful handoff, and his pass back inside sent Devine racing for the line and a 21-14 lead with seven minutes to play, sealing a vital win for the province in their bid to reach the play-offs.
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