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A last gasp strike from Markus Schopp has doomed Chievo to a third defeat on the trot and lifted Brescia from the danger zone.
Brescia were without three suspended stars, as Giuseppe Sculli, Gigi Di Biagio and Marc Nygaard were sidelined, while Matias Almeyda was injured.
The Rondinelle had the first chance after nine minutes when Maurizio Domizzi blazed a fierce effort just over the bar from distance, then Simone Del Nero's drive was easily saved.
Chievo hit back immediately when Simone Tiribocchi took advantage of a defensive error, but Luca Castellazzi did well to narrow the angle and keep him out.
Brescia were clearly having the better of the first half and Daniele Franceschini dived in with a crucial challenge to prevent Andrea Caracciolo from running into the box by himself on Daniele Mannini's through ball.
Davide Mandelli was put under serious pressure by Caracciolo and had to anticipate his own goalkeeper to clear.
However, Chievo had the best chance of the game so far on 49 minutes, as Tiribocchi's diving header on a Franco Semioli cross was pushed round the post by an attentive Castellazzi from point-blank range.
Luca Marchegiani was also tested for the first time soon after, as the veteran had to fly across the face of goal to palm out Caracciolo's snapshot from almost 30 metres.
The game went through long periods of midfield battles, but on 70 minutes Marchegiani was again decisive by fingertipping a Marius Stankevicius header out of the bottom corner.
It looked as if the tie was heading for a draw, but a round of substitutions proved decisive in the closing minutes. Stankevicius held up the ball and Markus Schopp flicked it along with his heel before thumping a powerful half-volley into the top corner. It was a splendid strike from the Austrian midfelder, who replaced Simone Del Nero only 16 minutes earlier.
Chievo fought back and Fabio Moro fired over the bar, while a couple of free kicks were cleared with some difficulty.
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