Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Bayern Munich: 5 Talking Points
Expect all the early season chatters of Borussia Dortmund's return to the pinnacle of German football to effectively wither away after their 3-1 humbling at the hands of eternal rivals Bayern Munich at the Signal Iduna Park.
Arjen Robben, Robert Lewandowski and David Alaba all found the back of the net to put the visitors in a commanding 3-0 lead, before Marc Bartra struck a stunning swerve into the far corner which was nothing more than a consolation for the lacklustre hosts.
Bayern Munich now lead the pack by four points, while Borussia Dortmund continue to hit new lows with four consecutive winless matches in the Bundesliga. Here are the major talking points from the game:
#5 Bayern are still a bridge too far for Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund sat merrily at the top of the standings until last month, convincing the pundits into considering them a serious contender for the title this time. With six victories from the first seven games, the Yellow Submarine were riding a wave of confidence. But then, they lost their footing. And how.
Winless in the last four games including three defeats, Dortmund's season has turned upside down within a span of three weeks. The aura of invincibility now seems punctured to the extent of no return, and it's hardly surprising then to watch them go down so easily against their Bavarian rivals.
Bayern Munich dealt with their own fare share of problems at the start of the season, but the return of Jupp Heynckes has changed everything. The shoe is one the other foot now and it is them who are sitting pretty at the top of the standings after matchday 11. The 5-time defending champions are once again driving their way towards yet another domestic title, and Dortmund have to play catch-up again.
Their form has plummeted so dramatically it's hard to believe that they, who led Bayern by 5 points after seven games, are now trailing by six. Even though we still have 23 more rounds to go, Dortmund's freefall suggests its a bridge too far to traverse.