Five-star Bayern Munich thrash Eintracht Frankfurt to restore four-point lead at the top
Leon Goretzka, Thomas Müller, Robert Lewandowski and Alphonso Davies were all on the scoresheet for Bayern Munich as they resisted a Martin Hinteregger-inspired fightback to see off Eintracht Frankfurt and restore their four-point lead at the top.
Bayern Munich 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 1-0 Goretzka (17'), 2-0 Müller (41'), 3-0 Lewandowski (46'), 3-1 Hinteregger (52'), 3-2 Hinteregger (55'), 4-2 Davies (61'), 5-2 Hinteregger (o.g. 74')
Frankfurt may have stunned Bayern with a 5-1 win in the reverse fixture, but it has been over 12 years since the Eagles claimed a point at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga, and that showed in the opening exchanges. Hansi Flick's side settled quickly, with Kingsley Coman and Davies showcasing their pace down the flanks and Lewandowski rattling the crossbar following a corner. Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp then saved well from Benjamin Pavard, but Goretzka soon broke the deadlock, lashing home Müller's cut-back from the byline. With Bayern in total control, Ivan Perisic and David Alaba also had chances, and Müller added a second goal before half-time, latching onto Davies' ball into the middle and firing past Trapp from close range.
The writing appeared to be on the wall for Frankfurt when Lewandowski powered home a Coman cross a minute after the restart, but Hinteregger had other ideas. The Bundesliga's top-scoring defender dragged his side back into contention with two goals in the space of three minutes, putting away the rebound from one corner and heading in from another. Davies restored the hosts' two-goal cushion after being inadvertently teed up by Gelson Fernandes, before Manuel Neuer produced an excellent save to deny Mijat Gacinovic. Hinteregger then got the ball in the back of the net for a third time, but at the wrong end of the pitch this time, getting the ball caught in his feet after clever play from Bayern substitute Serge Gnabry. A spectacular encounter finished 5-2, leaving Bayern four points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table before Tuesday's much-anticipated Klassiker.
Match stats
- Goretzka has scored all four of his Bundesliga goals this season in 2020.
- Müller moved back to the top of the Bundesliga assists chart - above Dortmund's Jadon Sancho - with his 17th of the campaign. He also grabbed his seventh goal, one more than he managed in 2018/19.
- Lewandowski is only the second player in the league's history to reach 27 goals after as many rounds of fixtures, alongside Bayern legend Gerd Müller (1971/72).
- Hinteregger scored his first Bundesliga brace (in his 127th outing), and is now Frankfurt's leading scorer this season with eight goals. Three have come against Bayern.
- Bayern are the only unbeaten Bundesliga team in 2020, collecting 37 from a possible 39 points. The defending champions are averaging a club-record 3.2 goals per game under Flick (55 in 17 Bundesliga matches), and became the first team in Bundesliga history to notch 80 goals in just 27 outings.
- Bayern have won their last 11 Bundesliga meetings with Frankfurt at the Allianz Arena, stretching back to a 0-0 draw in November 2007. The Eagles last won in Bavaria in November 2000.
Watch: Pavard: "The two goals hurt us"
Line-ups
Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard, Boateng (Hernandez 73'), Alaba, Davies - Kimmich (Cuisance 85'), Goretzka - Coman (Zirkzee 85'), Müller, Perisic (Gnabry 64') - Lewandowski
Unused subs: Ulreich, Odriozola, Martinez, Mai, Batista, Meier
Out: Coutinho (ankle), Süle (match fitness), Thiago (groin), Tolisso (ankle)
Coach: Hansi Flick
Frankfurt: Trapp - Toure, Hinteregger, N'Dicka (Chandler 46') - da Costa (Durm 76'), Fernandes (c), Ilsanker, Rode (Kamada 71'), Kostic - Gacinovic (Sow 71')- Silva (Dost 76')
Unused subs: Rönnow, de Guzman, Torro, Hasebe
Out: Kohr (suspended), Paciencia (thigh)
Coach: Adi Hütter
Watch: Alaba: "We want to beat Dortmund on Tuesday"
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