Borussia Monchengladbach have moved another step closer to securing Champions League qualification with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
It was the perfect start for the hosts as Patrick Herrmann's good work created an opportunity for Max Kruse, whose shot was kept out by Roman Weidenfeller, but Oscar Wendt reacted in a congested box to fire home the opener in the first minute.
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The pressure was on Dortmund to produce a response after the early setback, and despite dominating possession for long spells, chances were rare, with Mats Hummels heading straight at Yann Sommer from a corner.
Gladbach looked confident operating on the counter-attack, and the impressive Herrmann made the difference once again for the second goal as he sprinted past a couple of challenges before setting up Raffael for a simple finish.
The lead could have been extended even further before the break when a vulnerable Dortmund defence gifted space to Herrmann, but he could only curl a shot over the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Dortmund had the opportunity to reduce the deficit early in the second half when a cross into the box eventually reached Shinji Kagawa, who somehow managed to fire his shot wide from a promising position.
Gladbach capitalised on the miss from the visitors to extend their advantage through Havard Nordtveit, who arrived unmarked at the back post to power home from a corner.
The visitors pulled a goal back late on when substitute Jeremy Dudziak found the space to pull a cross back which allowed Ilkay Gundogan to slot in.
However, Gladbach held on comfortably in the closing stages to secure another win, which keeps them on course for a top-four finish.
Callum Mulvihill
