Union Berlin 3-1 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Pohjanpalo (50'), 2-0 Pohjanpalo (53'), 3-0 Pohjanpalo (67'), 3-1 Gebre Selassie (82')

Recent wins for Arminia Bielefeld and Cologne, coupled with Bremen’s six-game losing run in the Bundesliga prior to kick-off, had thrust Florian Kohfeldt's side into the thick of the battle against the drop. Yet recent results have taken their toll on the team’s confidence and it was Union, still with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe, who were the better side in the first half. They dominated in almost every area, enjoying more possession, completing more passes, winning more tackles and having more efforts on goal, but they struggled to create clear chances against deep-lying opposition. The best opportunity fell to Robert Andrich following a corner, but his fiercely struck first-time shot was blocked in a crowded box before it reached the Werder goal. Milot Rashica had the visitors’ only opening of note, but his low shot from 16 yards was comfortably saved by Andreas Luthe.

The hosts eventually got the lead their superiority deserved early in the second half when a corner from the right was flicked on to the back post, where the unmarked Pohjanpalo was lurking to prod over the line from close range. The Finnish striker fired in a second just three minutes later when he latched onto Petar Musa’s pass in the right-hand side of the penalty area and squeezed a low shot past Jiri Pavlenka and into the far corner. The 26-year-old, nicknamed 'Danger', showed his predatory instincts once again in the 67th minute when he collected another ball into the box from Musa, this time on the left, before angling a precise shot into the corner. It was no less than Union deserved and although Bremen pulled a goal back through Theodor Gebre Selassie in the closing stages, it was too little too late for the visitors, who are now just four points above the automatic relegation spots - although they have played three games more than 17th-placed Hertha Berlin.

FCU Union Berlin Union Berlin - SVW Bremen Werder Bremen

Pohjanpalo hat-trick as Union beat struggling Bremen