FC Bayern went on the road to pick up three points and reclaim the top spot in the Bundesliga table. Bayern controlled the middle of the field for a majority of the game, passing well and preventing Schalke from creating many good chances. Aside from a few brief stretches of play, Schalke never looked very threatening.
Young Nils Petersen got the start in the absence of Mario Gomez. Nils got the party started in the 22nd minute, taking a pass from Ribery on the fast break. Schalke keeper Ralf Fahrmann made a good first save, but Nils pounced on the rebound and his follow-up deflected off a Schalke defender into the goal:
After that, Schalke did have a few decent chances, with Huntelaar getting a bit of space but failing to force a save from Manuel Neuer. At the half, Bayern's lead was clearly deserved, but I still didn't feel like it was a sure thing.
But the second half more Bayern control, with Petersen and Müller both creating a few threatening looks. Müller gave the death blow with less than 20 minutes remaining:
A tough shot, because he had to pick the ball out of mid-air from a deflection. Poor quality on the video, I know. I'll see if I can find a better one later.
With the win, Bayern moves into first place alone. No mid-week action this week, but we're at home this coming Saturday vs. Leverkusen, then at home again 3 days later vs. Manchester City. Back with more analysis later, we'll see what Heynckes has to say after the game.