Serhou Guirassy on target as Borussia Dortmund comfortably beat Werder Bremen
Serhou Guirassy scored for the first time in eight Bundesliga games as Borussia Dortmund eased to victory over Werder Bremen at Signal Iduna Park.
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Schlotterbeck 11’ (assist: Ryerson), 2-0 Sabitzer 76’ (assist: Nmecha), 3-0 Guirassy 83’ (assist: Bellingham)
After salvaging a last-gasp 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night, Niko Kovać's side were looking to cement second place in the Bundesliga table and close the gap on leaders Bayern Munich to eight points.
Bremen, meanwhile, were playing their first match of the calendar year after their Matchday 16 encounter with Hoffenheim was postponed due to heavy snow. The visitors went into the contest without a win in their last five Bundesliga matches but will have taken heart from their two most recent meetings with Borussia, both of which ended all square.
Horst Steffen's team actually made the brighter start, with Justin Njinmah forcing a good save out of Gregor Kobel after cutting inside his marker and unleashing a powerful drive.
The visitors threatened again moments later when Marco Grüll fired narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area, but Dortmund soon settled and took the lead with 11 minutes on the clock. Julian Ryerson floated in a corner from the left and Nico Schlotterbeck rose unmarked to head past Mio Backhaus from point-blank range for his second goal of the season.
Bremen nearly levelled in the 18th minute when Njinmah was played through by Romano Schmid, but Kobel stood tall to block the striker's attempted lob. The chances dried up a little after that, with Dortmund seeminly happy to take a slender lead into half-time.
The hosts created a flurry of chances early in the second period, with Fabio Silva and Maximilian Beier both going close. They eventually doubled their lead with 14 minutes remaining, when Marcel Sabitzer - making his 250th Bundesliga appearance - lashed home Beier's cut-back after fine work from substitute Daniel Svensson.
Fellow substitute Guirassy put the result beyond doubt seven minutes later, slotting into the bottom corner after Amos Pieper's attempted clearance was charged down by Jobe Bellingham.
There was no way back for Werder after that as Dortmund comfortably saw out the final few minutes to move four points clear of third-placed VfB Stuttgart in the table.
Man of the Match: Nico Schlotterbeck
Schlotterbeck earned 61 percent of the votes in the fan-led Man of the Match poll. The centre-back not only opened the scoring with a perfectly timed header but was a defensive colossus throughout, winning 12 challenges overall – more than any of his team-mates.
His composure in possession helped Dortmund build from the back, while his aerial presence proved vital in both penalty areas as Borussia secured another clean sheet at Signal Iduna Park.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Dortmund 2.18 - Bremen 0.53
Fastest player: Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund), 35.55 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 2-0 by Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund), 5.34 percent
Most pressed player: Carney Chukwuemeka (Dortmund), 16 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Yan Couto (Dortmund), 1.92
Fantasy Heroes: Nico Schlotterbeck (Dortmund, 439 Points), Marcel Sabitzer (Dortmund, 226 Points), Waldemar Anton (Dortmund, 224 Points)
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