Irresistible Reds move four points clear

FC Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on Saturday evening, moving four points clear of their closest rivals. Julian Brandt handed Dortmund an early lead, but Robert Lewandowski soon levelled the scores, Kingsley Coman putting Bayern ahead with the half-time whistle imminent. Erling Haaland equalised after the restart, but Lewandowski sealed three points when Bayern were awarded a penalty, netting from the spot.

The Bavarians started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Hernández and Alphonso Davies in a back four. Corentin Tolisso and Leon Goretzka anchored a midfield featuring Coman, Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané, with hitman Lewandowski up front. Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Niklas Süle and Tanguy Nianzou took over from Goretzka, Sané, Hernández and Coman in the second half.

Scorching first half

The 15,000 crowd at Signal Iduna Park saw a wonderfully entertaining, up-tempo contest between two evenly-matched sides. Brandt fired wide before Neuer crucially beat Haaland to a through ball. Borussia took the lead when a chipped ball found Brandt, who blasted into the top corner of the net. Lewandowski saw an effort blocked but soon levelled the scores, Müller and Hummels battling for a bouncing ball, but the Poland captain got hold of it and beat keeper Kobel.

Sané fired just wide and Coman saw an effort blocked before Kobel denied Coman. Haaland fired just wide but Coman handed Bayern the lead shortly before half-time, making the most of a mix-up in the box and blasting home from 12 yards with the help of a deflection.

Lewy seals it

The second half began with a setback, Bellingham setting up Haaland, whose fine curler found the net via the inside of the post. Kobel denied Sané before making a fine save against Coman. The breathtaking pace dropped a little now, and the match was interrupted after a clash of heads between Upamecano and Brandt before Hernández sustained a knock.

Bayern were awarded a penalty for handball, Lewandowski stepping up and netting via Kobel's fingertips. Bellingham headed over, with Lewandowski aiming a little too high. Ten minutes were added on due to the interruptions and discussions. Kobel was in Bayern's box when Dortmund took a corner, Schulz losing the ball and Tolisso racing away, but the Frenchman miscued from 40 yards, and match official Felix Zwayer put an end to a magnificent match.

The result takes Bayern onto 34 points from 14 matches, four ahead of Dortmund. The Bavarians will be back in action on Wednesday, when they entertain Barcelona in the Champions League.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen