20:30 kick offs: Frankfurt and Wolfsburg run riot, Leverkusen keep pressure on Bayern | OneFootball

Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1 Freiburg

Frankfurt’s Mario Götze produced the first notable moment of the clash, testing Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu with a well-struck half-volley from the right side of the box in the 10th minute.

Freiburg did suffer a scare in the 24th minute, with Atubolu appearing to overstretch while claiming a cross. Though he continued after treatment, the incident raised concerns about his ability to finish the game.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute, with Freiburg taking the lead. Merlin Röhl delivered a sublime ball into the box, and Ritsu Doan made no mistake, hammering it home to stun the home crowd.

However, Frankfurt responded just before halftime, with Omar Marmoush whipping in a fantastic corner in the 43rd minute that saw Robin Koch rise the highest to meet it with a glancing header that nestled into the far corner past Atubolu.

The goal held extra significance for Koch, who made 82 Bundesliga appearances for Freiburg before his move to Leeds United in 2020.

There was no let-up as the half drew to a close. Hugo Ekitike surged through the Freiburg half a minute later and unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box, but his effort hit the side netting. The 22-year-old, who has already netted seven goals this campaign, looked lively throughout.

In the final moments of the half, Marmoush squandered a free kick from a promising position on the left, sending his shot high into the section housing Freiburg’s travelling fans.

In the 65th minute, Marmoush finally got his goal after another all-action performance typical of the Egyptian. After seeing his original attempt from the edge of the box blocked, Marmoush found the back of the net for the 15th time this season, carefully volleying the ball home from inside the box to complete the turnaround.

Die Adler went on to add two more in the second half courtesy of Hugo Ekitike and Nnamdi Collins.

After threatening all evening, Ekitike put his name on the scoresheet after latching onto the end of a fantastic Mario Götze ball before comfortably beating Noah Atubolu inside the box, whilst Collins stabbed home after Omar Marmoush provided yet another assist this campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Mainz

This clash at the BayArena provided a steady start, somewhat ironic with both side's records of being the strongest starters in the Bundesliga. However, Jonathan Burkhardt's early departure in just the third minute left the visitors without their talismanic skipper.

As both sides settled Leverkusen's Piero Hincapié came close to breaking the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a decent effort that flashed just past the post.

The game began to tilt in Leverkusen’s favour around the half-hour mark. Florian Wirtz, pivotal to the champions’ creativity, crafted a golden opportunity with some excellent work at the byline. His delivery found Patrik Schick, whose deflected volley was turned behind for a corner. Wirtz continued to be the driving force, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. For the first time, he found himself in acres of space outside the box and unleashed a shot that narrowly missed the target.

Leverkusen’s dominance grew as halftime approached. Alejandro Grimaldo tested Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner with a well-hit volley from 20 yards, but Zentner was up to the challenge. Mainz, to their credit, defended resolutely under mounting pressure.

Just moments after half time, the champions eventually broke through, with a fantastic Alejandro Grimaldo free kick finding the back of the net after an effort simply too well-placed for Zentner to get anywhere near.

With the hosts in the ascendancy, Florian Wirtz saw an effort well saved by Zentner to keep die Nullfünfer in the encounter after 60 minutes.

Without being rewarded for their efforts, the hosts kept the pressure on Mainz throughout the second half, seeing out an eventual 1-0 victory to continue piling the pressure on Bayern München at the top of the standings.

Wolfsburg 5-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Ralph Hasenhüttl's men could not have hoped for a better start, with die Wölfe being awarded a penalty after just two minutes when Bence Dardai was tripped in the box by Julian Weigl.

Netting for the 7th time in the Bundesliga this season, Danish forward Jonas Wind made absolutely no mistake in converting from eleven metres.

The early sting did not send Gladbach into their shells, however, with die Fohlen continuing to test Kamil Grabara. A failed lob from Tomas Cvancara and a Robin Hack volley, well saved by Grabara were just two of a plethora of first-half attempts from the visitors.

Wolfsburg dealt with the first-half pressure well, creating chances of their own, however, a deflected effort from Dardai and Joakim Maehle's 20-yard overhead attempt proved not enough to double the host's lead going into half-time.

It took 60 minutes for the hosts to break through once again and double their lead, with Maehle getting his goal after an excellent run and 1-2 with his countryman Wind. The Dane grabbed his third of the campaign to raise the noise of the alarm bells for die Fohlen.

As the scintillating football continued, Wolfsburg added a third, a fourth, and then a fifth via captain Maximilian Arnold and a Lukas Nmecha brace to secure three points for Ralph Hasenhüttl's men in style.

Gladbach did manage a consolation though, via Shio Fukada who slid the ball under the legs of Grabara.