A Christian Pulisic cross which sails over Ron-Robert Zieler is followed by goals from Michy Batshuayi and Maximilian Philipp as Borussia Dortmund seal what is ultimately a clear and highly-deserved 3-0 home win over VfB Stuttgart. The win gives the Black & Yellows some breathing space, especially as their direct rivals for the Champions League places Frankfurt and Hoffenheim share the spoils in a draw: with 29 matches gone, BVB have a five-point lead over fifth-placed Eintracht and an eight-point cushion over TSG.

But the performances are little more predictable than the April weather. The 3-0 win over Stuttgart is BVB's third home victory in a row, whereas results on the road are a different story entirely. The 152nd Ruhr derby against FC Schalke 04 ends in a 2-0 defeat, a disappointment only made worse by the loss of goalscorer Michy Batshuayi to an ankle injury for the remainder of the season. The Belgian had scored six goals in eight games.

"The position that we started in was way worse than it currently is. Whether we achieve our objective is now in our own hands," says Peter Stöger ahead of the home game with Bayer Leverkusen. The club have 29 points from the 15 games under his leadership – and it's soon to be three more as the Black & Yellows produce their best performance of the season to beat a direct rival by a 4-0 scoreline. Driven on by what is at times vociferous support in the stands, Jadon Sancho scores his first Bundesliga goal to give the home team a deserved lead. There are further goals – one from Maximilian Philipp and two from Marco Reus – as the Black & Yellows stroll to a relatively unchallenged victory. But at the time nobody knows how important those goals will prove to be...

On their next outing in Bremen, Dortmund finally deliver a convincing away display – even if an intense 1-1 draw is not quite the result they are hoping for. Reus puts BVB ahead on the 19-minute mark, before Bremen equalise through Thomas Delaney on the stroke of half-time. The game ends with wave after wave of attack on the opposition goal, with Pavlenka making a number of saves and the woodwork saving Werder three times. BVB finish the month in third.

In other news, Sebastian Kehl announces his return to BVB! The former captain agrees to take over the newly-created position of head of the licensed player division as of 1 June.
Boris Rupert