Harry Kane scored his 21st goal in just his 15th Bundesliga game as Bayern Munich claimed a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg in their final match before the winter break.
With Bayer Leverkusen thrashing Bochum 4-0 on Wednesday to continue their unbeaten start to the season, Bayern had to win in the Volkswagen Arena to stay four points behind Xabi Alonso’s relentless league leaders.
Thomas Tuchel’s side controlled the first half and led just after the half-hour mark when Jamal Musiala headed in Thomas Muller’s inviting cross.
Kane then bent in a brilliant second – but that was quickly cancelled out by Maximilian Arnold’s long-range strike in first-half stoppage time.
Bayern struggled to find their rhythm in the second period but Wolfsburg posed little attacking threat, with the champions able to keep their hosts at bay and ensure they head into Christmas on the back of a three-game winning run.
Muller’s start against Wolfsburg was just his sixth in the Bundesliga this season but, days after signing a new deal in Munich, the 34-year-old was at the heart of everything in the first half – good and bad.
His first moment of note came after excellent work from Leroy Sane, who presented Muller with an open goal – only to see his team-mate allow the ball to bounce away off his knee and then miss the rebound.
Muller then struck the bar with a looping header before setting up Musiala with a superb left-footed cross, bending the ball into the path of his fellow Germany international, who simply had to nod the ball past Koen Casteels.
Muller also claimed the assist for Bayern’s second goal but it was Kane who received the acclaim, setting himself up from around 25 yards before firing a brilliant shot into the top corner.
That strike moved Kane to an astonishing 25 goals in only 22 games since he joined Bayern from Tottenham in August.
The 30-year-old’s opportunities to add to that tally were limited in the second half, though, with Tuchel’s side perhaps subdued by Arnold’s unexpected strike shortly before the break.
After enjoying 69 per cent of the possession in the first half, Bayern’s share was reduced to 51 per cent in the second period, with Tuchel switching to a three-player defence in a bid to regain control of the tie.
But Wolfsburg could not take advantage of their opponents’ sluggishness, with Arnold the only player to test Neuer in the second half as his side recorded a pitiful 0.28 expected goals total.
Bayern were equally unthreatening, spurning several counter-attacking opportunities, while Raphael Guerreiro’s powerful shot was blocked by swarming Wolfsburg defenders.
The half’s only flashpoint occurred when Niko Kovac and Tuchel clashed on the touchline after Min-Jae Kim escaped punishment for a strong challenge in the penalty area.
But the former Bayern boss was embraced by the current Bayern manager at full-time, with Tuchel safe in the knowledge his side are back on track after their shock 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt earlier this month.
SkySports
