Bayern Munich have extended their Bundesliga lead to five points thanks to a 2-1 win in the top clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in Munich.
The Bavarians, however, now lead ahead of RB Leipzig, as Dortmund lost second place and dropped to fourth with the defeat.
Earlier, Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen claimed victories to move closer to the Bundesliga top.
Leipzig defeated SV Hamburg 2-1 from Christoph Baumgartner's brace with a fifth victory from six unbeaten league matches.
Stuttgart are one point behind Leipzig after getting a fourth straight league victory, 3-0 at lowly Wolfsburg from Tiago Tomas, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Angelo Stiller.
The 2023-24 champions Leverkusen, meanwhile, drew level on 14 points with Dortmund from a 4-3 at third bottom Mainz.
Elsewhere, teenage sensation Said el Mala came on to salvage a 1-1 draw for Cologne against Augsburg, and second last Heidenheim came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen.
Unstoppable Bayern
With the win against Dortmund, Bayern have now won all of their 11 games so far this season across all competitions.
"We try to win every game as possible and we've done that so far," forward Harry Kane told Sky TV.
The England captain scored his 12th goal of the season to give Bayern a deserved lead in the 22nd minute after Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel made big saves to deny Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz early in the game.
But he couldn't do anything to stop Kane's header and his 12th goal of the Bundesliga season after Kimmich's corner.
"It was something we worked on, happy to see it paid off," Kane said.
Dortmund didn't let Bayern take full control of the game, but also failed to convert their good chances.
Felix Nmecha missed a big opportunity, heading the ball wide after a delivery from Julian Ryerson in the 49th.
In the 65th, Karim Adeyemi deflected Kimmich's sloppy pass to Serhou Guirassy, who played the ball back to Adeyemi, but he slipped and missed the target.
Bayern then extended their lead in the 79th. Diaz sent a dangerous ball across the face of the goal, but it was caught by Jobe Bellingham.
The Dortmund midfielder, however, reacted too slowly, allowing Olise to race in and divert the ball into the net.
Substitute Julian Brandt pulled one back for Dortmund just five minutes later with his first touch on the ball but despite some late pressure, the guests couldn't find the equalizer and will go back home empty-handed.
"It always feels good to win a game. They are the second-best team in Germany. It's an important win, a good win from us," Bayern midfielder Konrad Laimer said.
"There are some things we can do better, score some goals earlier. But the most important is the win."
Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck was praised for his strong performance, but said: "I'm happy but I would have preferred to take home the three points.
"To defeat Bayern, you have to play with courage. Over the 90 minutes, we didn't do enough to beat Bayern."
The other games
Leipzig were lucky when Hamburg's Jean-Luc Dompé hit the post with 20 minutes left, after Albert Sambi Lokonga's deflected shot had given Hamburg a temporary equalizer in the 48th.
"It is fun with the lads. We are working together very well as a team. There several teams chasing Bayern but they are the best team. There are four or five teams on a similar level. We want to stay up there as long as possible," Baumgartner told Sky TV.
Leipzig fans honoured their former long-time player Yussuf Poulsen before kick-off as Poulsen returned as a Hamburg player and came on during the second half.
Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo scored twice against the former club of their coach Kasper Hjulmand, and Martin Terrier was also on the scoresheet for Leverkusen's fourth in his first appearance since tearing his Achilles tendon in January.
Christian Kofane got the other goal for the visitors, while Lee Jae-Sung, Nadiem Amiri and Armindo Sieb pulled Mainz within one three times.
Union Berlin defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 on Friday, and the Sunday fixtures are Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt and St Pauli v Hoffenheim.
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
