Bayern Munich returned to winning ways after beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 meanwhile Frankfurt edged Dortmund 2-1 in the 12th round in Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern snapped their two-game losing streak in all competitions as the German record champions overpowered resilient Bayer Leverkusen thanks to the 2-1 winner from Mats Hummels.
From the start both sides exchanged offensive actions and fast breaks. Yet, the spectators at outsold Allianz Arena had to wait until the half-hour mark before Thiago Alcantara opened the scoring by header from close range following a rebound.
The “Werkself” remained unimpressed and replied five minutes later when Hakan Calhanoglu unleashed a hammer after a one-two combination via Julian Brandt.
Both sides continued the fast-paced encounter in the second half where Bayern Munich grabbed the lead again as Mats Hummels nodded home a corner in the 56th minute.
Leverkusen pressed for the leveler but neither Javier Hernandez nor Kevin Volland were able to beat Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the closing period.
With the eighth victory of the season, Bayern reduced the arrears to front-runners Leipzig to three points. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen remain on the 9th place of the standings.
Eintracht Frankfurt extended their unbeaten run to six games as Szabolcs Huszti and Haris Seferovic provided the goals to down Dortmund, who suffered their third loss of the season.
Dortmund took the reins on the road as Andre Schurrle and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed promising opportunities in the opening period.
The “BVB” dominated the first half but nonetheless Frankfurt’s Huszti almost broke the deadlock against the run of the game when he forced Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller to make a save.
Immediately after the half-time Frankfurt turned up and opened the scoring through Huszti, who benefited on a fast break and square pass from Timothy Chandler to make it 1-0 with 46 minutes played.
Thomas Tuchel’s men responded with frenetic attacks before Ousmane Dembele’s build up work allowed leading top scorer Aubameyang to score the equalizer and his 13th goal of the season in the 77th minute.
It was however a short-lived joy for Dortmund as the “Eagles” grabbed the lead again only moments later when Haris Seferovic lashed home from the edge of the box to put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute.
With the result, Dortmund slumped from the 3rd to the 6th place whereas Frankfurt jumped from the 7th to the 3rd place.
Elsewhere, Monchengladbach extended their winless run to seven games after sharing the spoils 1-1 with Hoffenheim.
Cologne remains unbeaten for the third time in row as they played out a goalless stalemate with Augsburg.
Werder Bremen levelled the scores twice to snatch a two-all draw at last-placed Hamburg following the 105th Northern derby, and Ingolstadt’s wastefulness allowed Wolfsburg to secure a 1-1 draw on the road.
The following fixtures complete the 12th round on Sunday: Schalke host Darmstadt and Berlin encounter Mainz.