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League leaders Bayern Munich moved to within one win of sealing an astonishing eighth successive Bundesliga title after a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach at the Allianz Arena.
Despite being without leading goalscorer Robert Lewandowski and leading assist-provider Thomas Muller, Bayern dug deep to grind out the victory thanks to a Leon Goretzka winner late in the second half.
Earlier, a Benjamin Pavard own goal had cancelled out Joshua Zirkzee's opener in a closely-contested first half. The game became more static as time wore on and fitness flagged, but, as they often do, Bayern Munich came up with the decisive moment despite not being at their best throughout.
This victory has set Hansi Flick's men up to get the job done at lowly Werder Bremen in midweek, and here's a look at Bayern Munich's player ratings on the night.
Bayern Munich Player Ratings:
Manuel Neuer: 7/10
The Bayern Munich number one had a curious afternoon, as he was beaten twice despite having hardly anything to do in the first half.
Besides Jonas Hofmann's fine finish that was ruled out by VAR and Pavard's own goal that gave him no chance, Neuer dealt with everything that Gladbach threw at him. A couple of smart saves in the second half was the most he had to pull out.
Benjamin Pavard: 5/10
The Frenchman had the proverbial "game of two halves," as a largely anonymous offensive display in the first half was made even worse by an own goal that helped Gladbach equalise.
However, Pavard redeemed himself by showing great enterprise to reach a loose ball on the right flank and turning in the cross for Goretzka's winner.
Jerome Boateng: 6/10
A succession of unfortunate injuries in the centre back department for Bayern Munich has seen the veteran defender make his way back into the starting eleven and he has made the most of these opportunities.
Boateng turned in another solid display on the night, dealing adeptly with Gladbach's attack and sending many a searching pass over the top of their defence.
David Alaba: 7/10
On a night when he equalled the record for the most Bundesliga appearances by an Austrian, Alaba enjoyed a largely comfortable outing.
It was no doubt helped by Alassane Plea missing out from the start and Marcus Thuram going off after 10 minutes, but Alaba still turned in an assured display. The fact that he was deployed at centre back despite Lucas Hernandez starting showed how much confidence Flick has in him in that position.
Lucas Hernandez: 5/10
Making a return to the starting lineup, Hernandez replaced Alphonso Davies at left-back. It was apparent that Bayern Munich lacked the usual security down their left flank that the Canadian provides as Patrick Hermann was a constant threat.
However, the World Cup winner was industrious in attack down the left flank, linking up well with Perisic and even spurning a glorious scoring opportunity. Unsurprisingly, Hernandez was replaced by Davies just after the hour mark.
Serge Gnabry: 6/10
Although Gnabry was largely starved of the ball down the Bayern Munich right, the former Arsenal man showed some flashes of his pace and trickery in the first half.
He continued in the same vein in the second half and shifted inside after Coman came on as the three men behind Zirkzee interchanged positions regularly for the remainder of the game.
Leon Goretzka: 7/10
Mostly quiet in the centre of midfield, Goretzka provided nothing of note for most of the game. However, having kept the game ticking over with some astute passing, he went on to score the winner late on after his run from deep was not picked up by the Gladbach defence.
Joshua Kimmich: 6/10
An underwhelming performance from one of the most consistent players in the world. Kimmich was his usual energetic self in midfield but was uncharacteristically sloppy in possession at times and was outshone by his teammates on the pitch.
Mickael Cuisance: 6.5/10
Cuisance was making his full debut for Bayern Munich as a replacement for Thomas Muller and looked lively in the centre of the park.
Despite getting into good positions, the Frenchman couldn't deliver the final flourish against his former side and came off for Coman just after the hour mark.
Ivan Perisic: 7/10
The majority of Bayern Munich's attacking play seemed to come down the left flank, with Perisic being quite influential in bringing the team forward.
The Croatian was lively in possession and created some promising opportunities with clever pieces of play before being replaced by Javi Martinez late on.
Joshua Zirkzee: 7.5/10
Charged with filling Lewandowski's sizeable boots, the 19-year-old rose to the occasion by scoring the opener with a confident first-time finish following an errant pass out by Sommer.
This was his fourth league goal in his debut Bundesliga campaign, with many more likely to follow. Zirkzee came off with 15 minutes to go as Bayern Munich went in search of a winner.
Substitutes:
Kingsley Coman: 6/10
The winger came on for Cuisance on the hour, but like his compatriot, looked threatening without providing the final touch during his time on the pitch.
Alphonso Davies: 6/10
Bayern Munich's current first-choice left-back came on for Hernandez on the hour and added both defensive security and attacking threat to the hosts.
Kwasi Okyere Wriedt: 5/10
The highly-rated youngster came on for his second appearance in a Bayern Munich jersey to replace Zirkzee upfront as his side went in search of the winner but did not get on the ball as much as he would have liked.
Javi Martinez: N.A.
The experienced Spaniard came on for Perisic with just two minutes of normal time left to play as Hansi Flick looked to protect his side's lead.
