Mike Hanke's goal at the weekend changed the entire top of the Bundesliga

Bayern Munich impressively overcame Werder Bremen to retake top spot in the Bundesliga. But that was only due to Mike Hanke salvaging a draw in the ‘Borussia Battle’

BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1-1 BORUSSIA DORTMUND

The game of the weekend as the top two went head to head and the drama started before kickoff as the home team-sheet came in without their lynchpin, Marco Reus. News eventually filtered through that Reus had suffered a broken toe against Kӧln last week and the home clubs PR staff had done a good job of avoiding the news breaking to Dortmund until the team had to be named, it did not stop the fact that it suddenly cast the current league leaders Dortmund as massive favourites.

As the first half progressed it emerged that both teams were nervous and were playing an extremely cagey and relatively boring first half. That changed on 40 minutes as Robert Lewandowski, who has now cemented his place ahead of Lucas Barrios as the Dortmund striker, rose above two defenders to convert a Mario Gӧtze corner, his tenth of the season, giving Dortmund a lead that most thought that Mӧnchengladbach would not be able to pull back without Reus.

It appeared to be the case as the home side played without their usual speed of thought and movement, finding themselves on the back foot as a result with Dortmund knowing that a second goal would kill the game for sure. It was from another corner that Dortmund really should have delivered that knockout blow. A rare mistake by Marc-André ter Stegen as he came for a ball that was never going to reach him and Felipe Santana put his free header over the empty net.

As Dortmund pushed forward, they were made to pay  as Mike Hanke took advantage of the disorganised at the back to grab the leveller with a calm finish. Even then Dortmund might have won it, Lewandowski heading home but it was ruled out for Kevin Groβkreutz being just centimetres offside in the build-up.

BAYERN MUNICH 4-1 WERDER BREMEN

It is rare that this fixture is not the game of the weekend, even if they were both midtable, let alone third and forth respectively. Both sides knew the importance of this one as a draw in the Borussia game would put Bayern a point clear or Werder a point off the top.

At half-time, with Franck Ribery giving Bayern a 1-0 lead, there was no sign of the madness that would ensue in the second-half. Even after substitute Marcus Rosenberg capped off a great counter-attack to give Werder Bremen the equaliser, no-one knew of the drama that was still to come in the last 20 minutes.

For it was then that the officials took over.  Thomas Müller was fouled, taking away a great scoring opportunity, the penalty was given and converted by Arjen Robben but the offender, Andreas Wolf stayed on the field. Bayern then thought they had a third as Mario Gomez scored but was wrongly given offside in a decision that was not even close. Ribery did get a third moments later but Aaron Hunt decided to give the referee more work with a horror tackle on Toni Kroos for which he was rightly sent-off. Even then they were not finished, Ribery giving up the chance of a hat-trick by going down very easily in the box, penalty given and once again converted by Arjen Robben.

SCHALKE 3-1 AUGSBURG

Schalke knew that a win over bottom side Augsburg would send them fourth and within three points of Bayern at the top, sending thoughts of that disappointing derby loss to Dortmund to the back of their minds. By half-time it seemed as comfortable as it looked on paper too, Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar giving Schalke a 1-0 lead and hitting the post too with the bottom side offering nothing even resembling an attack. Maybe it relaxed Schalke too much as Sascha Mӧlders ended his 1,200 minute wait for a goal straight after the break. All it did was wake Schalke back up and it was Christian Fuchs whose goal regained the lead for Schalke, although Mohammed Amsif should take the blame for a woeful piece of goalkeeping to allow the ball to beat him. Raul was the man that then put the game beyond doubt with just a few minutes remaining.

HAMBURG 2-0 NURNBURG

A win in this one, leapfrogging their visitors (as well as several others) and up to eleventh, all of a sudden it seems like a lifetime ago that Hamburg were bottom and there was serious thought that the only side to have been in the top-flight for the entire Bundesliga era would be for the drop. It does speak volumes that when Paolo Guerrero gave the hosts the lead, most thought it would be a comfortable win for them. Alexander Esswein and Tomas Pekhart ensured it was not as they both hit the woodwork either side of the break. Marcell Jansen cleaned the game up for Hamburg on the hour mark though, finishing off a great team move to give them a second goal that killed of the resistance.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN 2-0 HOFFENHEIM

Bernd Leno, the keeper on loan from Stuttgart, has impressed in goal for Leverkusen while in for the injured Rene Adler. During the week, Leverkusen secured his signature permanently for somewhere in the region of € 7 million.  However, it was the Hoffenheim keeper, Tom Starke, who was the centre of attention for the first goal as he pushed a free-kick straight to Eren Derdiyok, who accepted the Christmas present. Leverkusen dominated but only made sure of the win with ten minutes to go as Sidney Sam lobbed Starke with aplomb to secure the points.

KAISERSLAUTERN 1-1 HERTHA BERLIN

Kaiserslautern opened the scoring in this one with one of the best goals of the season as Christian Tiffert put a beautiful cross in that was wonderfully finished by Roman Hubnik with a diving header, something you do not see enough of anymore. Only one problem, Hubnik plays for Hertha. Raffael finished off a wonderful Hertha move at the right end quickly afterwards and within 15 minutes it was one-all. At that stage it looked like a hatful could be scored, by the end it should have been a cricket score in favour of Kaiserslautern but nobody could finish for them like Hubnik could.

WOLFSBURG 2-2 MAINZ

After upsetting Bayern last week, Mainz presented Felix Magath’s side with a two goal lead by half-time, a horrific backpass was converted by Mario Mandzukic and Jan Kirchhoff put through his own-net. Last season however, Mainz had given the Wolves a 3-0 lead and won 4-3. It was not quite that bad this time around but after Andreas Ivanschitz had scored a penalty with 20 minutes left, it was only a matter of time before the equaliser came and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting obliged. There seemed time for another winner when Makoto Hasebe got a second booking but Wolfsburg held on for a point.

FREIBURG 1-1 HANNOVER

Freiburg, who sit in the relegation zone, have actually scored more goals than Europa League side Hannover, the problem is that they have conceded more than anyone else. In this one Hannover did not actually score, it was Felix Bastians who did it for them, converting into his own net although Didier Ya Konan would have scored if Bastians had left it. Most of Freiburg’s goals have come from Papiss Demba Cisse and in a second half that Freiburg dominated he came up with the equaliser. In truth, with the chances he had in the second-half, Cisse not only should have won the game for the hosts but bagged himself a hat-trick as well. A point does not help either side, Freiburg remain in the bottom two while Hannover are now five games without a win and dropping into mid-table mediocrity.

STUTTGART 2-2 KOLN

Stuttgart have consistently been a better side over the last 15 years than Kӧln. However, in that time, Stuttgart have never beaten them at home. After Lukas Podolski had given the visitors the lead from the penalty spot, this game turned into an amalgamation of all those games of the last 15 years. Christian Gentner scored two goals by half-time, giving Stuttgart the lead by capitalising on some rather average defending and then dominating the game, having everything from their own profligacy in front of goal to the brilliance of Kӧln keeper, Michael Rensing, to blame for not increasing the lead. With two minutes left, Lukas Podolski once again played his ‘get out of jail free card’ for the visitors. A truly undeserved point for Kӧln, make it 16 years since they lost in Stuttgart.