Thiago Alcantara dominated Hannover

Tip Of The Cap: Thomas Müller. Thomas Müller didn't have a particularly good game but after a Hinrunde where he's logged over 2000 minutes, it's ok for him to be exhausted. Scoring a penalty after missing a couple in recent weeks was a welcome sign, as was hitting a new personal best Bundesliga scoring mark after just 17 matchdays.

Golf Clap: Xabi Alonso. Completing 134 passes, the possession based nature of Bayern Munich's approach relied on moving through Alonso and as normal the Spaniard was up to the challenge. Altough Xabi struggled in the opening minutes, including an abhorent pass that gifted Hannover a chance that Manuel Neuer's expert reflexes could only just tip, he stamped his influence on this match with aplomb after that.

Standing Ovation: Arturo Vidal. Playing wide left and in the middle, Vidal was the main physical conduit Bayern Munich used to push play between Xabi Alonso and their attacking players. While Vidal didn't put together a world beater of a performance as we've seen in the past, he was at least consistent on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and that right there is more than we've seen lately from the Chilean.

Meister Of The Match: Thiago Alcantara. Nobody on Bayern Munich looked particularly threatening in front of goal, but that wasn't from lack of service as Thiago dribbled, skipped and ate the entire Hannover midfield for breakfast. Were it not for some really bad finishing on the parts of an exhausted Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller, Thiago could have registered four or five assists in this match.

Jersey Swap: Hiroki Sakai. While Hannover valiantly defended, they owed much of their ability to maintain their structure to the way Hiroki Sakai took Kingsley Coman out of this game early. As we've seen so many times in recent weeks, taking out the Bayern Munich wingplay concentrates their attacking influence in the center and without the likes of Mario Götze this team can stagnate easily. And Sakai eliminated Coman's influence, forcing Guardiola to shift him to the right side where he could actually contribute to this match.