Werder Bremen put themselves back in the German league title race with a 2-0 win at home to VfB Stuttgart on Sunday as just four points now separate the top five teams.
Bremen are fourth on 26 points, two behind third-placed Bayern Munich who can reclaim top place if they draw or beat Mainz later Sunday, with Borussia Moechengladbach second and defending champions Borussia Dortmund currently occupying pole position.
Bremen picked up the points after midfielder Aaron Hunt and Brazil defender Naldo both scored second-half goals to keep them in touch with the leaders after last weekend's shock 5-0 hammering at 'Gladbach.
Dortmund claimed first place on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat of neighbours Schalke.
Having had their Champions League hopes all but ended with defeat at Arsenal in midweek, Dortmund claimed their seventh win in eight league games.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski and Brazilian defender Felipe Santana scored the goals in front of 80,720 spectators.
Lewandowski grabbed his ninth league goal when he headed home on 16 minutes and Dortmund made sure of their first home win over Schalke since 2007 when Santana fired home on 61 minutes in the 139th Ruhr Valley derby.
Dortmund had lost Germany midfielder Sven Bender with a broken jaw at Arsenal, and only having had teenage star Mario Goetze confirmed in the starting line-up on Friday night after a knee injury and he played 88 minutes.
There is no love lost between the rival fans and 35 arrests were made at Dortmund's sold out Signal Iduna Park stadium as fights between supporters were broken up by police using batons and pepper spray.
Having booked their place in the knock-out phase of the Champions League with a late win at home to Chelsea on Wednesday, Leverkusen sealed a 3-3 draw at Hertha Berlin.
Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok, who scored the equaliser against Chelsea, hit a hat-trick, but having put his side in the lead in the 79th minute to make it 3-2, Berlin's teenage striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga levelled eight minutes from time.
The draw leaves Leverkusen sixth in the table while Berlin are 10th.
Hamburg's new coach Thorsten Fink has now gone five games unbeaten after his side drew 1-1 at Hanover to leave his side 14th, while Hanover are now eighth.
Bottom side Augsburg picked up only their second victory of the season, and their first home win, when they inflicted a 2-0 defeat on 2009 champions Wolfsburg.
Midfielder Daniel Brinkmann scored his first goal of the season when he fired home on 65 minutes from a tight angle before Albania striker Edmond Kapllani scored their second in the fourth minute of injury time.
Augsburg's win tightens things at the foot of the table with three points now separating the bottom five sides.
Mid-table Nuremberg enjoyed a 1-0 win over Kaiserslautern, while Hoffenheim grabbed a 1-1 win over Freiburg.
On Friday, 'Gladbach knocked Bayern from top spot in the league with a 3-0 win at Cologne with former Germany striker Mike Hanke getting off the mark for the season with a double to seal his team's fourth straight win.
There was trouble after the game with 15 arrests made.
Germany's rising star Marco Reus broke his little toe in the win and is an injury concern ahead of Saturday's key clash at home to Dortmund.
Source: AFP
