BV Borussia Dortmund passed up the chance to rise to third in the Bundesliga as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Hertha BSC Berlin also drew in their battle to avoid relegation.

Werder Bremen and Bayer 04 Leverkusen started Sunday two points ahead of the Ruhr club in the race for the third UEFA Champions League berth, meaning victory would have catapulted Jürgen Klopp's side into pole position with three games remaining.

Nelson Valdez's header after 57 minutes appeared sufficient for the home side but, with the game drifting towards its conclusion, Carlos Eduardo whipped in an 89th-minute cross and Vedad Ibišević stooped alongside Mats Hummels' outstretched boot to prise a damaging equaliser.

Hertha could have closed to within three points of safety had they won at Eintracht Frankfurt but they failed to build on a half-time advantage and were held to a 2-2 draw. Ümit Korkmaz cancelled out Gojko Kačar's opener but the capital club still held sway at the break thanks to Raffael.

However, their second lead proved as fragile as the first with Marco Russ on target for the ninth-placed hosts. With three matches to play, all against sides currently in the top four, Friedhelm Funkel's side have plenty to do to usurp two of the three sides on 28 points and earn Bundesliga survival.