Bayern Munich reclaimed top spot in the Bundesliga after crushing Wolfsburg 5-0 while RB Leipzig slumped to their first loss of the season – a 1-0 defeat at Ingolstadt.
“A wonderful match day,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, whose rivals all dropped points. “Ingolstadt will get a truckload of white sausage and wheat-beer from us.”
Arjen Robben put Bayern ahead with a fine move down the right and a superbly curled left-footed shot in the 22nd minute before Robert Lewandowski tapped in for a two-goal lead four minutes later.
The Pole replicated his move on the hour to turn in a Thomas Müller shot before the attacking midfielder then turned scorer, finally breaking his goal drought this season. Douglas Costa completed the rout in the 86th minute.
“Now we’re leaders and that will certainly do our Christmas party this evening good,” said Müller, who had gone 999 minutes without scoring. “It’s nice the goal drought is now over. It wasn’t so important to me but I know others made a big deal of it.”
Bayern move up to 33 points, ahead of Leipzig on goal difference, while Wolfsburg are just a point above the relegation zone in 15th place, without a win in their last four matches.
Promoted Leipzig’s sensational start to the season came to a halt when the Brazilian Roger’s glancing first-half header earned struggling Ingolstadt only their second win of the campaign. The hosts had to endure an hour of pressure as Leipzig sought the goal that would have kept them top, and Emil Forsberg missed a golden chance in the 88th minute to equalise from four yards out.
Ingolstadt were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time after the dismissal of Mathew Leckie but held on.
“Defeats always hurt, regardless against whom,” said Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhüttl, who led Ingolstadt to promotion in 2015.
Borussia Dortmund continued their erratic domestic form and needed another late goal from Marco Reus, who brought his side back to 2-2 at Real Madrid in midweek to finish top of their Champions League group, to snatch a 1-1 draw at Köln.
Werder Bremen moved four points clear of the drop zone through Max Kruse’s strike against third-placed Hertha Berlin, while Hamburg forward Lewis Holtby left his side an uphill task before the break when he was sent off for elbowing Dominik Kohr in the face after he was fouled by the Augsburg midfielder.
But Kohr received his second yellow card midway through the second half and Filip Kostić scored two minutes later on a rebound after Nicolai Müller’s effort hit the post.
It was enough for Hamburg to climb into the relegation play-off place, one point above Ingolstadt and two above Darmstadt, who lost 1-0 at Freiburg.
Nils Petersen’s late penalty was enough for Freiburg.
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