Bayern Munich 5-0 Borussia Dortmund: Hits and Flops

Bayern Munich reclaimed pole position in Bundesliga in the most dominant fashion after swatting Borussia Dortmund aside with five unanswered goals.

A barnstorming opening half saw the hosts plunder as many as four of them to effectively put the tie to bed. Matts Hummels, Robert Lewandowski, Javi Martinez and Serge Gnabry all bagged apiece before the Polish hitman doubled his tally in the second half to round off an absolute shellacking.

Dortmund, who had been leading the pack for most of the season, looked far from their title-contending selves as Lucien Favre's side completely imploded in an error-strewn first 45 minutes.

With only six games left, Bayern now lead the standings by a point as Dortmund's title hopes suffer a soul-crushing blow.

Here are the hits and flops from the 100th Der Klassiker:

Hit: Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski continued from where he left last time - with another brace

The Bayern Munich sniper came back to haunt his former side with another brace, taking his tally to 20 for the season in Bundesliga, and 16 against the Yellow Submarine in 17 appearances.

He just loves turning up for Der Klassiker. With eight shots in total - four of which were on target - the towering Pole was a constant threat for the visitors. His swift movements in or around the area and ability to latch on to crosses ensured Dortmund were kept on pins and needles throughout.

Lewandowski demonstrated his predatory instincts when he caught Dan-Axel Zagadou off-guard, forced a mistake out of him, and dunked the ball over a hapless Roman Burki to double the advantage early on. He tied his Dortmund markers in knots with his dribbling skills, completing four of his five attempts, and then laid the final nail in the coffin with a fifth in the dying embers.

I amend my statement - he loves devouring the Klassikers.

Flop: Dan-Axel Zagadou

Zagadou would want to forget this night as soon as possible

What a horrendous night for the 19-year old. He was having a fair to a middling season in his substitute role but was handed a rare start in the absence of the injured Achraf Hakimi. And instead of taking this opportunity to prove a point, Zagadou turned in a stinker and was directly responsible for a goal too.

A lapse in concentration allowed Lewandowski to intervene and snatch the ball away from him. The Pole then beat Burki in a one-on-one situation to comfortably put the chance away. This mistake allowed the hosts to double the cushion and sink Dortmund deeper in trouble.

More often than not, he was found out of his position and easily dispossessed by his markers. Forget driving forward to emulate Hakimi's attacking instincts, Zagadou's defensive exploits too weren't up to scratch. He offered little to stifle Bayern's upward surge and also lacked pace in his movements.

Everything that could go wrong for him, did. And before he was subbed off at half-time, committed another blunder by bringing down Lewandowski near the area to concede a free-kick which although wasn't dispatched, led to Bayern's third goal as a series of passes ended with Javi Martinez sending in a long-range howitzer beyond the despairing dive of Burki.

So that's two goals conceded due to Zagadou's mistakes alone. And this shocker would have certainly knocked the stuffing out of him.

Hit: Serge Gnabry

Serge Gnabry pulled up trees in a performance for the ages

Even in the limited opportunities provided to him, Gnabry never failed to deliver. The German winger has seven goals and five assists to his name in only 15 league starts before this one, and manager Niko Kovac entrusted faith in the 19-year old again for the big occasion.

And once again, he delivered. With another goal and assist added to his tally, the former Arsenal outcast ripped Dortmund apart with his attacking exploits. He linked up well with his attacking counterparts and caused all sorts of problems to the visitors with his excellent passing range. He laid four key passes, whilst also brilliantly picking out Thomas Muller's cross to rifle home Bayern's fourth just minutes before half-time.

He continued to pose great threat even in the second-half despite Bayern slowing down the tempo. Gnabry often tore open Dortmund's fragile backline with his buccaneering runs down the right flank before serving things on the platter for his team-mates. And in a similar instance, he unselfishly squared off for Lewandowski for a fifth, though he could've gone for the kill himself.

Nevertheless, a terrific performance from Gnabry by all accounts.

Flop: Borussia Dortmund

Wheels of Dortmund's title juggernaut come off in dramatic fashion

Bundesliga's conclusion still has six more games to go, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to suggest Dortmund's title hopes are all but over: Bayern now lead by a point and that's exactly the boost they needed during the home stretch of the campaign.

A slip-up at Freiburg last week allowed Dortmund to clinch top spot, and it was essential to at least gain a point in this match to harbour any hopes of winning the league. But Dortmund didn't only lose, they were battered, black and blue. And don't forget, this was the title-deciding clash.

For all the promise served up over the course of the campaign, Dortmund's implosion in the biggest and the most significant match of the season suggests they're still some distance from becoming a champions material. And now, the race is not even in their hands anymore despite being only a point adrift.

If it ends up exactly in the way things stand now, Dortmund would be left ruing what might have been.