Bayern Munich survive scare at Werder Bremen to go four clear of Borussia Dortmund at top of Bundesliga

Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane fired Bayern Munich to a 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Bayern started the game top of the table, clear by one point above second-placed Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund play Wolfsburg on Sunday afternoon meaning a win would have seen the current champions extend their lead to four points for at least 20 hours, and put pressure on their rivals.

Werder were seven points clear of the bottom three at kick-off, with little to play for in the remainder of the season.

Bayern started with Sane benched but new manager Thomas Tuchel picked his training-ground rival Sadio Mane to start up front.

While Bayern enjoyed almost three-quarters of possession in the first half, they enjoyed precious few shots on target, just two, as they struggled to break down the doughty home team.

Just after the hour mark, Gnabry was on hand to pounce on a loose ball from a cross which was not properly cleared, and fired a low shot into the net.

10 minutes later, Sane was on the pitch to make it two, but there was a late scare as Niklas Schmidt pulled one back with four minutes remaining, but Bayern held onto their lead.

Werder’s next match is an away tie at RB Leipzig next Sunday, while Bayern host Schalke on Saturday.