Jupp Heynckes praised Bayern Munich's tactical control of Bayer Leverkusen as the Bundesliga leader kicked off the second half of the season with a 3-1 win at the BayArena.
Leverkusen had not lost in 12 league matches prior to the mid-season break but on its return, that run came to a juddering halt at the hands of the Bayern juggernaut.
READ: Bayern opens up 14-point lead with comfortable win
Goals from Javi Martinez and Franck Ribery put Bayern in complete control and James Rodriguez's sublime free-kick helped secure the points after Kevin Volland's deflected strike had given Leverkusen hope.
However, Bayern was in control throughout and that particularly pleased its veteran coach as it marches on towards a sixth successive league title.
"The team played very well tactically and defensively for long spells," said Heynckes.
"After the 2-0 we lost a bit of our concentration and had unforced errors with the ball. But it's just tough to win here.
"Leverkusen is a young and very talented team which played very offensive."
Ribery's second-half strike was his first of the campaign, and the Frenchman was delighted to have had an impact for the leader on a tough away trip.
"To score a goal is always nice," he said. "In Leverkusen the game is always difficult.
"They put a lot of pressure on us.
"We have to play better with the ball, but we won 3-1, that was important."
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