“There is always room for improvement, but we put in a good performance today” said Oliver Kirch after the game against Hannover.” His teammates backed up this assessment, with the Revierderby also being on everyone’s mind. “This win will give us a lot of confidence for the Derby,” said Robert Lewandowski. The post-match reactions.

Oliver Kirch: “There is always room for improvement, but I think we put in a good performance today. The first half was much more difficult for us, but we hardly had any problems once we scored the second goal, even if we could have been a bit calmer in one or two situations.  Overall, it was a deserved win and we made a statement with regard to the Derby on Tuesday. The win will give us confidence.”

Eric Durm: “We did well in defence, limited them to only a few chances and got better as the match went on. We managed to get the Champions League match against St Petersburg out of our minds and also attacked very, very well again. We played our high-tempo football, scored three goals and could have even added one or two. It was fully deserved win in the end.”

Kevin Grosskreutz: “It was a very tough game for us, but we restricted them to one chance in the first half when they hit the post, so it was a very good performance from us. We also created some chances, and I should have taken at least one of them. In the end it was a deserved win – even by that kind of scoreline.”

Marco Reus: „“It was very important to win here in Hannover ahead of the Derby, especially after losing the last two matches. We now have enough confidence. The second goal after the break was key. It was a great goal from “Lewy”, and it basically sealed the game.”

Robert Lewandowski: “It was a very difficult game, especially in the first half as Hannover put in a good fight. The goal shortly before the interval of course played into our hands. But we knew at halftime that we needed at least one more goal, and once we scored that it got easier for us. This win will give us a lot of confidence for the Derby on Tuesday.”