Bayern down Dortmund to open four-point lead

Bayern Munich stamped their authority on the Bundesliga yesterday byopening a four-point lead as Robert Lewandowski netted an audacious goalin their commanding 3-1 win at Borussia Dortmund.Defending champions Bayern stay on course to win the German League for asixth straight season after dominating the high-tempo showdown atDortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.A superb curling strike from Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben on 17 minutesput Bayern head before a cheeky backheel from Lewandowski deflected off adefender on its way to the back of Dortmund’s net on 37 minutes.Having missed Bayern’s 2-1 win at Celtic on Tuesday in the ChampionsLeague with a thigh injury, Lewandowski claimed his 11th league goal inas many games this season and is currently the Bundesliga’s top-scorer.Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the top scorer last seasonin Germany just ahead of Lewandowski, has now failed to score in each ofhis last five games, but still has 10 goals in 11 league matches. Left-back David Alaba was credited with Bayern’s third goal which flewinto Dortmund’s net just ahead of Lewandowski’s outstretched foot on 67minutes.Defender Marc Barta, who was injured in April’s bomb attack on theDortmund team bus, scored the hosts’ consolation goal two minutes fromtime.The win leaves Bayern unbeaten in their seven games since Jupp Heynckes took charge at the end of September.Third-placed Dortmund have now won just one of their last seven games inall competitions which has seen them surrender a five-point lead overBayern in the league.They now trail Bayern by six points and are two behind RB Leipzig, whowent second earlier with a 2-1 comeback win at home to Hanover 96. Germany striker Timo Werner, 21, who has just recovered from a neckinjury, proved his form ahead of the world champions’ high-profilefriendly matches against England and France in the next 10 days.Werner set up Yussuf Poulsen’s equaliser and then netted an 85th-minutewinner after the Brazilian Jonathas had given visitors Hanover the leadat Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena.The result got Leipzig back to winning ways after last week’sback-to-back cup and league losses to Bayern and a 3-1 defeat at Portoin the Champions League.Elsewhere Schalke, who are now undefeated in their last six games in allcompetitions, climbed to fourth — level on 20 points with neighboursDortmund — with a 1-0 win at Freiburg.Winger Daniel Caligiuri scored the only goal against his old club.Hamburg moved out of the bottom three with a 3-1 win at home toStuttgart, who had midfielder Dzenis Burnic sent off after just 13minutes for two yellow cards.Aaron Hunt put Hamburg ahead from a free-kick after a goalkeepingblunder by Ron-Robert Zieler, but Stuttgart levelled just afterhalf-time when Daniel Ginczek converted a penalty.However, Filip Kostic put Hamburg back in front and Germany Under-17international Jann-Fiete Arp, with his second in two games, sealed thewin.Borussia Moenchengladbach dropped to seventh after their 1-1 draw at home to Mainz.Mainz took the lead on 19 minutes through French defender Abdou Diallo,but Gladbach equalised when towering Danish centre-back JannikVestergaard headed home midway through the second half.Mid-table Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen shared the points in a 1-1 drawas Kevin Volland’s strike just after the break was quickly cancelled outby Austrian defender Kevin Danso.RESULTS* RB Leipzig 2 (Poulsen 70, Werner 85) Hanover 1 (Jonathas 56)* Freiburg 0 Schalke 1 (Caligiuri 62)* Borussia Moenchengladbach 1 (Vestergaard 67) Mainz 1 (Diallo 19)* Augsburg 1 (Danso 49) Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Volland 47)* Hamburg 3 (Hunt 20, Kostic 65, Arp 69) Stuttgart 1 (Ginczek 55-pen)* Borussia dortmund 1 (Bartra 88) Bayern Munich 3 (Robben 17, Lewandowski 37, Alaba 67)