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Bundesliga round up: Bayern Munich win to go eight points clear at the top

By PA Sport

Saturday 19 December 2015 21:45, UK

Thomas Muller celebrates during Bayern Munich's 2-1 win over Hannover
Image: Thomas Muller celebrates during Bayern Munich's 2-1 win over Hannover

Bayern Munich made it a record-breaking first half of the season with a 1-0 Bundesliga win over Hannover . The result gives them an eight-point advantage to enjoy during the winter break.

A Thomas Muller penalty ensured Bayern ended the year with the best record ever of a side over the first 17 games of a season.

It means Bayern, who get the second half of the season started at Hamburg on January 22, remain firmly on course for a fourth straight Bundesliga title.

Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of their match against Hannover
Image: Bayern Munich's players celebrate at the end of their match against Hannover

And manager Pep Guardiola, who has been heavily linked to move to England would not be drawn on his future as he reflected on a remarkable year which has once again been dominated by his side.

"Huge compliments to my players," he said. "They have been super all year, be it in the Bundesliga, in the Champions League or in the DFB-Pokal."

Bayern were able to increase their advantage at the top of the standings by three points since Borussia Dortmund threw away the lead to lose 2-1 at a spirited Cologne.

Borussia Dortmund's players look dejected after they lost to Cologne.nn
Image: Borussia Dortmund's players look dejected after they lost to Cologne.nn

Sokratis Papastathopoulos' opener was not added to by Thomas Tuchel's men and they paid the price with Simon Zoller and Anthony Modeste turning the tables late on.

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Zoller's fourth of the season was Cologne's first goal at home in three months, while the win lifted them into the top 10 at the halfway stage of the season.

They remain three points behind local rivals Bayer Leverkusen, who had Javier Hernandez to thank once again for a rather fortunate 1-0 win at Ingolstadt.

The Mexican scored his 17th goal in his last 14 games to lift Roger Schmidt's men up to fourth, although Borussia Monchengladbach and Mainz can catch them on Sunday.

Wolfsburg will spend the winter outside of the top four after they were beaten by Stuttgart on Saturday evening, with the Swabians leaving the foot of the table in the process.

Daniel Didavi was inspirational for Stuttgart with two goals, while Filip Kostic also found the back of the net after Maximilian Arnold had given the Wolves the lead.

Filip Kostic scores Stuttgart's second goal against Wolfsburg
Image: Filip Kostic scores Stuttgart's second goal against Wolfsburg

It was Stuttgart's first win in six league fixtures, and the first under caretaker coach Jurgen Kramny, who is nevertheless unlikely still to be in charge in January when a new full-time coach is due to be in place.

Eintracht Frankfurt manager Armin Veh is delighted with his side's win over Werder Bremen
Image: Eintracht Frankfurt manager Armin Veh is delighted with his side's win over Werder Bremen

Whoever does come in will take charge of a Stuttgart side outside of the relegation zone.

Elsewhere, Werder Bremen slipped into the bottom three after losing 2-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt, a result which increases the pressure on their coach Viktor Skripnik while relieving some of the pressure on his opposite number Armin Veh.

Finally, Augsburg moved away from danger with a 1-0 win at Hamburg, thanks to Jan Moravek's headed goal.