Bayern Munich 5-0 Borussia Dortmund: 5 Talking Points | Bundesliga 2018/19

Bayern Munich decimated Borussia Dortmund in Saturday's Der Klassiker with Lewandowski, Hummels, Gnabry and Martinez getting on the score sheet. The result saw Bayern reclaim top spot from their arch-rivals.

The visitors had a brilliant chance to draw first blood in the seventh minute as Mahmoud Dahoud saw his effort hit the post. Minutes later, Mats Hummels' perfectly placed header gave Bayern a much-deserved lead. Bayern then took control of proceedings and doubled their lead in the 16th minute as Lewandowski capitalized on Zagadou's error and slotted the ball into an empty net.

Dortmund found themselves with a mountain to climb as Bayern took a 3-0 lead through Javi Martinez five minutes from the interval. Their problems compounded in the 43rd minute when some poor marking from Akanji allowed Serge Gnabry to place his header beyond the reach of Roman Burki.

Bayern completed the rout after Lewandowski tapped in from close range in the dying embers of the game. On that note, let us take a look at the five talking points from the clash at the Allianz Arena.

#1 Bayern dominate the all-important midfield battle

Martinez played an instrumental role in winning the midfield battle

Niko Kovac started with the duo of Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara in midfield in Munich's 5-0 rout of Borussia Dortmund. The Croatian got his selection spot on as the duo provided the perfect blend of defensive stability and flair/creativity in the middle of the park.

Javi Martinez operated as the holding midfielder and made life easy for Bayern's back four with a couple of well-timed interventions. The Spaniard did not allow the likes of Dahoud and Reus to create chances from the middle and thwarted Dortmund's offensive advances.

The former Bilbao midfielder ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 93%, made two interceptions and recovered possession on eight occasions. Martinez capped off a solid performance with a well-placed finish beyond Roman Burki, which effectively sealed the game in the 40th minute.

Thiago Alcantara was at his mercurial best against Dortmund as the opposing defense had no answer to his exquisite passing range. The Spanish international continuously picked out the runs of Coman and Gnabry and bypassed Dortmund's press with his nimble footwork and composure on the ball.

Thiago ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 87% and created seven chances which were the highest by any player during the game. In addition to this, he provided six key passes, made five recoveries and assisted Mats Hummels for Bayern's opener.

Both midfielders were at the top of their game as they dominated the all important midfield battle which played a major role in helping the record Bundesliga champions brush aside an insipid Dortmund.

#2 Dortmund's woeful defending

Zagadou wasn't at his best against Bayern

Borussia Dortmund started the game with a back four comprising of Lukasz Piszczek, Manuel Akanji, Dan-Axel Zagadou and Abdou Diallo. The visitors were without left-back Achraf Hakimi who is ruled out for the season with a broken foot.

Bayern took full advantage of Diallo operating as the makeshift left-back. The Frenchman, who usually plays as a Centre Back, found it difficult to link up with Bruun Larsen and did not offer much going forward. Most of the goals scored by Bayern in the first half came from the left as Niko Kovac's side took advantage of the poor chemistry between Diallo and Zagadou.

Dortmund's back four were poor in possession and found it difficult to cope with Bayern's counter press. Dan-Axel Zagadou put in one of his worst performances in Dortmund yellow. He was at fault during the build-up to Bayern's second goal as he conceded possession cheaply in a key area which allowed Lewandowski to bypass Burki and slot the ball into an empty net.

The French Centre-Back also gave away a silly free-kick which led to Bayern's third goal of the evening. On the other hand, Manuel Akanji started the game in decent fashion, but his poor marking allowed Serge Gnabry to have ample time to place his header past Roman Burki and seal the game in the first half itself.

Lukasz Piszczek was equally poor as the Right Back and was constantly troubled by Coman's pace and agility. The Pole was at fault for the first goal as he gave Hummels enough room to guide his header past Burki.

Overall, a poor defensive display not only saw them humiliated 0-5, but also resulted in Bayern reclaiming top spot at a crucial point of the season.

#3 Bayern get their pressing spot on

Lewandowski's brace helped Bayern secure three points

Die Roten reclaimed top spot from Borussia Dortmund courtesy a 5-0 drubbing at the Allianz Arena. The hosts started the game with great intent and deservedly took the lead in the 10th minute through Mats Hummels.

From that moment, there was no stopping Bayern Munich. The quartet of Lewandowski, Muller, Gnabry and Coman won the ball back on countless occasions in the final third. Their quick interplay and swift interchange in position gave Dortmund no time on the ball and caused them to concede possession in vital areas of the field.

Bayern's counter press did not allow Witsel or Delaney to link up with Sancho, Reus or Brunn Larsen. In other words, Dortmund's forwards did not get the required service to trouble Bayern's defence. Their pressing also forced Zagadou to give the ball away cheaply during the build-up to the second goal.

In general, Kovac got his tactics spot on as his side did not allow Dortmund to have time on the ball.

#4 Roman Burki's performance: The only positive in an abysmal Dortmund display

Burki helped spare Dortmund's blushes

In what was an absolutely abysmal performance from Dortmund in a crucial game, Roman Burki can keep his head held high as a string of saves from Dortmund's custodian prevented the scoreline from looking far worse.

Bayern took an unassailable lead in the first half as goals from Hummels, Lewandowski, Martinez and Gnabry put the game to bed. However, the hosts could have scored even more, only to be thwarted by some fine saves from Roman Burki.

Burki prevented Muller from scoring in the 21st minute when he smartly tipped the midfielder's attempt over the bar. His effort to thwart Lewandowski from close range, a few minutes earlier, prevented Bayern from taking a four-goal lead within the first 25 minutes.

There was nothing Burki could have done to prevent Bayern from scoring as all goals resulted from individual errors. Burki made a total of five saves as his performance was the only positive in what was an abysmal display from Borussia Dortmund.

#5 Advantage Bayern as the race for the Meisterschale heats up

Kovac aims to win his first trophy as Bayern boss

Prior to this weekend, Dortmund had reclaimed top spot from Bayern Munich following a 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, while the champions dropped two points as they were held to a 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg.

However, the 5-0 demolition of Dortmund saw Bayern leapfrog their rivals with six games to play. The defending champions face Fortuna Dusseldorf, Werder Bremen, Nurnberg, Hannover, Leipzig and Frankfurt in their next six fixtures while second-placed Dortmund face Mainz, Freiburg, Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayern will be buoyed by their 5-0 win at the weekend and Dortmund dejected at not having turned up for their most crucial game of the season so far. Despite the result, both sides must be wary of slip-ups as teams like Frankfurt, Leipzig, Schalke and Monchengladbach are capable of taking points off Bayern and Dortmund.

Niko Kovac's side have the quality and depth to secure their seventh straight Bundesliga title, but can't afford to drop points as Dortmund will be looking to close the gap or even overtake their rivals. The same can be said about Dortmund as there is little margin for error during the business end of the season.

Despite Bayern's slender advantage at the top, the Bundesliga is set for one of its best finishes in recent years.