Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Cologne on Saturday with goals from Thomas Mueller and Serge Gnabry returning their team to the Bundesliga summit as coach Hansi Flick rested top scorer Robert Lewandowski.
The Bavarians, who are in action in the Champions League and also face Borussia Dortmund in the league next week, are on 15 points, ahead of Dortmund on goal difference.
Lewandowski's absence was hardly felt with the visitors in control from the start.
Read:
It earned a 13th-minute penalty when Gnabry headed the ball onto Marius Wolf's arm. In Lewandowski's absence Mueller stepped up to score his fourth goal of the season with a well-placed spot kick.
Gnabry then got onto the scoresheet himself with a strong run down the wing and a powerful left-footed effort in first-half stoppage time.
Cologne hardly ventured forward after the break until Dominick Drexler's deflection cut the deficit in the 82nd minute.
Rare Hummels double lifts Dortmund
Defender Mats Hummels scored twice in the second half to help Borussia Dortmund beat Arminia Bielefeld 2-0 on Saturday and move level on points with Bayern Munich.
It was the first time since 2010 that the 31-year-old centre back managed two goals in a league game.
Also read:
With 73 per cent possession in the first half, Dortmund, was without its injured striker Erling Haaland, had the upper hand but carved out few clear chances.
It was only appropriate that it scored with a scrappy goal from Hummels, who pushed the ball over the line with his knee at the far post in the 53rd minute.
The 2014 World Cup winner headed in his second from a Marco Reus cross in the 71st before being taken off injured 15 minutes later.
Comments
SHARE