Leader leaders Borussia Dortmund extended their impressive unbeaten home run in the Bundesliga to 40 matches with a straightforward 5-0 (2-0) victory over 1. FC Köln on Matchday 4.

The 81,000 spectators in a slightly below-capacity SIGNAL IDUNA PARK saw summer signing Maximilian Philipp set the Black & Yellows on the path to victory by heading a Yarmolenko cross past Köln keeper Horn in the second minute of the match. Sokratis (45+1) and Aubameyang (59, 60) both found the net before Philipp added a fifth to wrap up a comfortable victory for BVB, who benefited on two occasions – their second and third goals of the night – from VAR.

The scenario
It was league leaders Borussia Dortmund versus bottom-placed Köln. The two teams had never gone into a Bundesliga meeting top and bottom of the table respectively. The Billy Goats had failed to win each of their nine previous away matches in the league, though they had not lost any of their six clashes with the Black & Yellows since Peter Stöger took over at the helm.

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Peter Bosz made three changes to the starting XI that faced Köln.

Personnel matters
Peter Bosz made three changes to the starting XI that were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham in midweek, with Zagadou, Castro and Philipp replacing Toljan (muscular problems), Kagawa and Pulisic. Schmelzer, Bartra, Reus, Guerreiro, Schürrle, Rode, Durm and Götze were all injured and unavailable. The visitors from the cathedral city made three changes of their own, bringing in Horn, Rissen and Osako in place of Rausch (bench), Hector (torn syndesmosis ligament) and Zoller (bench).

Tactics
Nine Köln outfield players were camped into a narrow corridor of the pitch in a bid to shut Dortmund's attacks out. The Billy Goats fielded a back four and five in the middle of the park, though midfielders Bittencourt and Osako regularly broke ranks to support lone frontman Cordoba. Borussia returned to their preferred 4-3-3 formation, having opted for an alternative against Tottenham in midweek.

The match & analysis
The Black & Yellows made a perfect start against their defensively-minded opponents by taking the lead in the second minute. Yarmolenko ran unchallenged at Jannes Horn down the right flank and sent in a cross towards the near post, where Philipp met the ball with a well-placed header into the far corner. Having broken the deadlock, BVB continued to push forward and would have doubled their advantage through Aubameyang if shot-stopper Timo Horn had not tipped the Gabon forward's effort round the post a quarter of an hour later.

BVB's next opportunity of note came in the 20th minute when, following a Köln corner, they countered and Yarmolenko shot from 18 metres out, although the Ukrainian's left-footed effort was comfortably saved by Horn. Minutes later, Jorge Meré cleared a low cross from the former Dynamo Kiev winger away for a corner. Sahin then hit a thunderbolt a metre over the crossbar in the 32nd minute. By this point the Black & Yellows were enjoying up to 80 percent possession and patiently waiting for the gaps to appear, while the Billy Goats barely forayed forward at all.

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Delight all round as BVB celebrate Maximilian Philipp's early opener.

The first moment of VAR-related controversy came in first-half stoppage time. A mistake from Timo Horn, who dropped the ball following a collision with team-mate Dominique Heintz as he came to collect a corner, presented Sokratis with an easy tap-in. Referee Patrick Ittrich (Hamburg) initially believed the Greek international had fouled the keeper and disallowed the goal, but changed his mind after consulting with 38-year-old video assistant referee Felix Brych. It was the timing of the referee's whistle, rather than the goal itself, that angered the Köln players the most. Having heard Ittrich blow up for a foul on the goalkeeper, the visitors stood motionless and did not attempt to intervene with play, even though the shot from Sokratis had not yet crossed the line...

Aubameyang breaks duck against 1. FC Köln

BVB, who had significantly more shots (10-2) in the first period, kept up their ferocious tempo after the interval as they went in search of a third goal. Aubameyang, whose shot flew narrowly wide in the 46th minute, and Dahoud (51) both came close. The video assistant referee was then called into action again in the 58th minute after Klünter handballed Philipp's header and Aubameyang missed the follow-up. Having initially awarded a corner, Ittrich pointed to the spot after consulting Brych and Aubameyang confidently slotted home a third (59). The Gabon international then made it four 85 seconds later when he converted Piszczek's cross.

1. FC Köln, who had six shots to BVB's 21, appeared resigned to their fate by this point and created few moments of genuine danger – one exception being when Klünter's effort was brilliantly saved by Bürki in the 79th minute. Maximilian Philipp, who had opened the scoring early on, then rounded off the victory with a fifth after being set up by Dahoud in the 69th minute.

Prospects
The busy fixture schedule continues on Wednesday as BVB travel away to Hamburg in the Bundesliga (kick-off 20:30 CET). Next Saturday (18:30 CET), they will welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.

Teams & goals