Bayern Munich survived a late onslaught and snatched all three points at Stuttgart following a hard-earned 2-1 victory in the 23rd round of Bundesliga.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both sides staged a lively opening period as Joshua Kimmich unleashed a dangerous hammer from distance in the 12th minute before Stuttgart's Hiroki Ito pulled narrowly wide five minutes later at the other end of the pitch on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bayern gained momentum as the clock ticked and came close through Leon Goretzka, who forced Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow into action twice in quick succession with 19 minutes gone, a Xinhua report said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stuttgart remained dangerous though, but Silas Katompa Mvumpa couldn't beat Bayern custodian Yann Sommer from close range in the 36th minute.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was the Bavarians who opened the scoring four minutes later when Matthijs de Ligt drilled the ball past Bredlow from 23 meters to make it 1-0.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The German giants paved the way for a win early in the second half after Thomas Muller's lay-up inside the box found Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who slotted home from seven meters at the hour mark.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bayern ceased its offensive fire and allowed Stuttgart to pull one back in the 88th minute after Juan Jose Perea headed home Tiago Tomas' pinpoint cross.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stuttgart pressed forward but Julian Nagelsmann's side was able to survive the late scare and reap crucial points in the title race.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We are happy with the win. We are back on top and that's a great feeling. We controlled the proceedings, but it wasn't a faultless performance by us," said Bayern captain Muller.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Elsewhere, Union Berlin dropped points after sharing the spoils with Cologne following a goalless stalemate. Bottom side Schalke downed Bochum 2-0 to secure vital points in the relegation battle. Augsburg beat Werder Bremen 2-1, Mainz edged Hoffenheim 1-0 while Borussia Monchengladbach and Freiburg played out a 0-0 draw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We are happy with the win. We are back on top and that's a great feeling. We controlled the proceedings, but it wasn't a faultless performance by us," said Bayern captain Muller.<\/p>\r\n\r\n