Borussia Dortmund went into Matchday 23 on the back of three consecutive draws but returned to winning ways at home to Bayer Leverkusen with a hard-fought 3-2 (2-1) victory that re-established their three-point cushion at the top of the Bundesliga.

Boris Rupert reporting

The 81,029 spectators at Signal Iduna Park – empty spaces in the away sector meant the stadium was not sold out – saw an impressive Leverkusen play a high pressing game, while Dortmund looked for openings and were clinical in front of goal. Dan-Axel Zagadou (30) and Jadon Sancho (38) scored either side of Kevin Volland's 37th-minute strike to put the hosts 2-1 up at half-time, with Mario Götze extending the lead to 3-1 on the hour-mark. Roman Bürki subsequently made a number of spectacular saves before Jonathan Tah (75) pulled one back to set up a frantic finish.

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The scenario: 
Bayer Leverkusen had been the most on-form team in the Bundesliga since the winter break, winning each of their last four games, while Borussia Dortmund had drawn three consecutive matches. The Black & Yellows had emerged victorious in five of their previous seven clashes with the Werkself.

Personnel matters: 
The Black & Yellows were still without the injured trio of Reus, Piszczek and Pulisic, although centre-back Akanji was available for selection for the first time since 18 December. The Swiss international returned to the starting XI along with Hakimi and Alcácer, while Wolf, Delaney and Philipp dropped to the bench.

Tactics:  
Leverkusen, in a 4-3-3 formation, looked to press high up the pitch with all three forwards and at least one of the two attacking midfielders. There were a number of positional switches within their ranks too with Brandt and Havertz frequently swapping roles. Left-back Jedvai often cut inside to offer an extra passing option in the centre of midfield, leaving a gap behind left winger Bailey that BVB exploited for the first time in the 28th minute when Sancho had their first attempt at goal. Dortmund lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system in which Weigl played alongside Witsel in defensive midfield.

The match & analysis:
The visitors made a brave start and looked like the home team as they pinned Dortmund back into their own half and hounded them with relentless pressing. Bayer dominated possession (over 80 percent in the opening stages, 68 percent in the first 20 minutes) and the shots (3-1 after 20 minutes), with perhaps their best two chances coming through Bender, whose shot from 16 metres was deflected behind for a corner in the 20th minute, and Havertz in the 23rd minute.

But BVB rode out that spell of pressure and troubled their hosts for the first time in the match when Hradecky denied Sancho on 28 minutes and Tah beat Weigl in an aerial battle in a dangerous position around 60 seconds later. Sancho took the resulting corner from the left flank and, although the ball eluded Akanji, Zagadou was in the right place at the right time to tap home from close range with his left foot (30).

Zagadou converts corner, Sancho volleys home

But the opener was cancelled out seven minutes when Volland shot from 16 metres and Bürki, whose vision was obscured, failed to get down in time. There was to be another twist barely 60 seconds later, however, when Diallo dribbled the ball down the left wing, crossed into the centre and Sancho escaped from his marker Jedvaj before executing a volley with the outside of his boot to technical perfection. The stadium came alive and Dortmund took their slightly fortuitous 2-1 lead in at the interval. Alcácer had spurned opportunities to add further first-half goals, losing his balance as he attempted to shoot following Sancho's 33rd-minute cutback and then having a shot from 16 metres turned behind by a Leverkusen player in stoppage time. The shots count after 45 minutes read 7-6 to BVB, although Bayer were the significantly superior side when it came to possession (70-30 percent) and pass completion (89 percent compared to 76 percent).

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Leverkusen pressed for an equaliser at the start of the second period but initially struggled to carve open opportunities against a defensively strong Dortmund side. The hosts went about their business shrewdly and extended their lead to 3-1 on the hour-mark when Hakimi's cross from the right flank was deflected by Jedvaj into the path of the onrushing Götze, who drilled a low shot into the corner from around 16 metres.

Götze grabs the winner

Dortmund looked to have added a fourth through Alcácer three minutes later but the goal was disallowed for offside. Bürki subsequently made an excellent stop to thwart Volland in the 64th minute, then produced another top-class reflex save to thwart substitute Alario on the 72-minute mark. But the Swiss stop-stopper was powerless to stop Tah's bullet header from Brandt's free-kick in the 75th minute, which reduced the deficit to 3-2.

Substitute Bruun Larsen had a chance to put the result beyond doubt in the 86th minute but the Dane blasted Sancho's cross over. However, BVB rode out five minutes of stoppage time to claim the all-important three points.

All the goals and the highlights at a click

Outlook: 
BVB are in action again in a matter of days with the next fixture an away trip to FC Augsburg on Friday (20:30 CET).

Teams & goals