Bundesliga Top Five, Round Seven: Hermann and Plea fire Gladbach top
It's shaping up to be quite a Bundesliga season.
Bayern lost at home to Hoffenheim, but both Dortmund and RB Leipzig could only draw, opening things up for Gladbach to go top and they delivered in style after hammering Augsburg 5-1.
Hermann and Alassane Plea were completely unplayable in their demolition of Augsburg. Hermann slotted home two superb finishes, the visitors unable to track his runs from deep, while he also laid on a goal for Breel Embolo to seal the win. Gladbach have went from crisis club to top of the table in the space of a fortnight, and their attacking talent have went some way to fixing their predicament.
Plea is one of the most in-form attackers in the Bundesliga and here Augsburg just couldn't deal with him. Hanging off the shoulder of the last defender, he burst beyond to give Hermann a straightforward finish, then he laid on his team-mate once again later in the half with a concise reverse path. He then scored the easiest - and most comical - goal of his career, closing down the hapless goalkeeper Tomas Koubek and dispossessing him to tap home.
It's rare a performance silences the Allianz Arena but Sargis Adamyan achieved it as Hoffenheim stunned the giants in Munich. His first goal was expertly slotted into the near post through the legs of Jerome Boateng, but his second was better, collecting the ball on the edge of the area, before swivelling to arrow his shot into the far corner.
Zentner's display against Paderborn was the difference between his Mainz side winning and losing. As well as making six saves as the hosts laid siege on their goal, he went full-length to his right with ten minutes remaining to save a penalty kick and ensure that Mainz left with all three points.
Dortmund may be stumbling this season but Witsel's performances have been one real constant. He completed 99 out of 108 passes in the match at Freiburg, also making nine recoveries, but his memorable moment was a fantastic volley after the ball was swerved to the edge of the area, catching his strike purely and finding the top corner. Unfortunately for him, his side were pegged back to a 2-2 draw in the last minute.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Sebastian Rode (8.4) scored and was a cultured presence deep in midfield fr Frankfurt in their 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen, while Achraf Hakimi (8.1) continues to develop into one of the most exciting talents in the league.
ROUND TO FORGET
Tomas Koubek (4.1) had the kind of afternoon that you hope can be erased from your memory. As well as conceding five goals to Gladbach, he tripped over when controlling the ball, allowing Plea to walk in and score. Nightmare.