Ten-man Borussia Dortmund held onto fourth place with a nervy victory at Werder Bremen secured by memorable Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho strikes.

Werder Bremen 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Malen 21', 0-2 Sancho (assist: Brandt) 39', 1-2 Njinmah (assist: Schmid) 70'

Dortmund combined well from the outset as they looked to respond to Leipzig beating Darmstadt 2-0 earlier in the afternoon to reclaim their top-four spot. It was the hosts who had the better of the early openings, despite the visitors bossing the ball. Marvin Ducksch squandered an early opening before being flagged for offside and Mitchell Weiser drew a save from Gregor Kobel from a corner. Dortmund suddenly burst through the hosts' defence as a fine Niklas Süle pass allowed Julian Brandt to crack a shot on goal and Donyell Malen pounced on the rebound in acrobatic fashion. A moment of brilliance from Jadon Sancho then saw Dortmund double their lead as the English winger chased around Julián Malatini and drifted behind the Bremen backline before slotting a splendid strike. Bremen pushed at the end of the half, with a curling Ducksch free-kick being saved by Kobel, while Marcel Sabitzer's straight red card in stoppage time gave Werder renewed hope.  

Werder Bremen pushed against the ten men in Black and Yellow immediately after the restart, with Justin Njinmah and Ducksch both going within a whisker of the target in the opening minutes of the second period. Weiser then had a stinging shot saved by Kobel as the pressure intensified. The visitors packed their defensive ranks in an effort to frustrate Bremen, but they were sprung open by a ball across the box from Romano Schmid that Njinmah tucked in. A jittery final 20 minutes ensued with Weiser having a shot in the box deflected behind. Substitute Karim Adeyemi provided an outlet for Dortmund's attacks on the break - and although their defence looked ready to creak under the hosts' late pressure, with Leonardo Bittencourt having a volley inside the box turned behind and Ducksch hitting a stoppage-time free-kick into the wall, the visitors ultimately held out for the narrowest of away wins.  

Match stats

• Njinmah, who was on Dortmund's books until the end of last season, scored his sixth goal of the campaign.
• Bremen are now winless in their past eight home meetings with Dortmund, losing six.
• Werder have scored 22 of their 34 Bundesliga goals so far this season in the second half of matches.
• Malen is now level with Niclas Füllkrug as Dortmund's top Bundesliga scorer this season with 11 goals. 
• Füllkrug is yet to score against Werder Bremen in five appearances against the club where he made his name.
• Dortmund are unbeaten in eight away matches in the Bundesliga. It's their best run since a 10-game road streak under Jürgen Klopp in 2012/13. They've only lost one of 13 away games this term (vs. VfB Stuttgart).

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Teams

Bremen: Zetterer - Malatini (Veljković 65'), Stark (Alvero 83'), Jung - Lynen - Weiser, Schmid (Woltemade 84'), Stage (Kownacki 65'), Agu (Bittencourt 79') - Njinmah, Ducksch (c)
Unused subs: Pavlenka, Groß, Keïta, Aarøen
Out: Deman (suspended), Friedl (ankle), Pieper (ankle)
Coach: Ole Werner

Dortmund: Kobel - Ryerson, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen (Bensebaini 84') - Sabitzer, Can (c) – Sancho (Nmecha 74'), Brandt (Adeyemi 65'), Malen (Hummels 46') - Füllkrug (Özcan 65')
Unused subs: Meyer, Reus, Bynoe-Gittens, Moukoko
Out: Bamba (muscular), Haller (ankle)
Coach: Edin Terzić

About the clubs

Borussia Dortmund

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SV Werder Bremen

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