England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals – plus one from Kingsley Coman – helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Having waited until the 57th minute to get the better of Alexander Nubel, it took under three minutes for the next to arrive with Kane producing an excellent bit of skill to flick the ball over a lying defender and power home from close range.
He was then in the right place to bundle home again after a Kimmich effort deflected off a visiting defender and grab his third goal of the game.
Substitute Coman inflicted a late fourth blow, taking advantage of another deflection before smartly turning inside and firing into the far corner.
Victory saw Bayern – who had drawn their previous two league matches – return to the top of the Bundesliga, sitting ahead of RB Leipzig on goal difference. Stuttgart, meanwhile, are ninth.
The Bavarians return to action on Wednesday when they travel to take on Barcelona in the Champions League (20:00 BST).
BBC