Leverkusen go top but Bayern stumble

Bayer 04 Leverkusen moved to the Bundesliga summit in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 victory against 1. FC Nürnberg, while FC Bayern München lost further ground, held to a goalless draw at home to 1. FC Köln.

Rolfes penalty
Leverkusen, who have now dropped just four points from their opening eight fixtures, always looked certain of registering their sixth league win of the campaign from the moment Toni Kroos found the net in the second minute. Simon Rolfes's 28th-minute penalty gave the home side breathing space and Eren Derdiyok swiftly added a third before Stefan Kiessling wrapped up victory midway through the second half. Hamburger SV can reclaim first place on Sunday with a three-goal win at bottom side Hertha BSC Berlin, who today appointed Friedhelm Funkel as their new coach.

Bayern held
Bayern are seventh following their draw, which allowed Köln to go ahead of second-bottom Nürnberg on goal difference. Bayern's fellow UEFA Champions League contenders VfL Wolfsburg moved into sixth with a 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum 1848, who led through Vahid Hashemian at half-time but lost Shinji Ono to a red card and Edin Džeko equalised.

Hoffenheim fall
Higher up, FC Schalke 04 took third place with a 2-0 Friday night defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt. They kept hold of that position as TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are now six points adrift of the lead after losing 2-1 to 1. FSV Mainz 05, who move up to fifth, behind today's opponents on goal difference. Werder Bremen can rise from eighth to fourth should they win at VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.

Late flurry
Hannover 96 scored twice in the closing five minutes en route to collecting only their second Bundesliga win this term, beating SC Freiburg 5-2 to go four points clear of the drop zone. BV Borussia Dortmund did similarly, securing their second win of the season with a 1-0 victory over VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach.