Borussia Monchengladbach moved top of the Bundesliga by stretching its winning run to four games with a 5-1 win over Augsburg on Sunday.
Patrick Herrmann scored twice and the result was effectively decided in the first 13 minutes when Gladbach raced into a three-goal lead.
Marcus Thuram surged forward and beat an Augsburg defender before cutting the ball back for Denis Zakaria in the second minute, Herrmann scored in similar fashion in the eighth, when Alassane Plea pulled the ball back, and Herrmann combined with Plea again to make it 3-0 in the 13th.
A mistake from Augsburg 'keeper Tomas Koubek gifted Plea the fourth goal in the 39th. Koubek tripped over his own feet as he attempted to control Felix Uduokhai's back pass and was helpless to stop the grateful Plea from scoring.
Augsburg had a penalty appeal turned down through VAR before the break after André Hahn went down under Yann Sommer's challenge, but the visitors pulled one back in the 81st through Florian Niederlechner on a rebound after Sommer saved Fredrik Jensen's effort.
But Herrmann set up Breel Embolo for Gladbach's fifth two minutes later.
Gladbach moved two points clear of Bayern Munich and four other teams after seven rounds. Bayern was stunned 2-1 at home by Hoffenheim on Saturday, the seven-time defending champion's first defeat of the season.
Tags
BUNDESLIGA
