Robert Lewandowski's hat-trick helped Bayern Munich hammer Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 and kept the defending champions on the trail of Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig.
A late penalty from Marcel Sabitzer secured Leipzig a 2-1 home win over Hertha Berlin, who played the last 40 minutes with just 10 men.
Lewandowski struck twice in the first half and added his 10th of the season after the break. Leroy Sane's fine solo goal and Jamal Musiala completed the rout but Bayern continue to trail Leipzig by a point.
Leipzig equalised through Dayot Upamecano and grabbed the winner after Deyovaisio Zeefuik saw red for the guests.
Borussia Dortmund went level on points with Bayern with a 3-0 Ruhr derby win over Schalke, who extended their club record winless run to 21 games.
Bayern coach Hansi Flick made four changes as his side returned to domestic action but one of those, Alphonso Davies, lasted barely a minute before turning an ankle and being substituted.
Flick later said the Canadian will be out six to eight weeks with ligament damage.
It made little difference to Bayern as Lewandowski first finished a move started by Thomas Mueller and Kingsley Coman and headed in a corner for his second.
"You see every game how hard it is to defend against him," Bayern defender Jerome Boateng said of Lewandowski, who he described as the "best striker in the world."
The Pole side-footed his third before being subbed and winger Sane, back off the bench after injury, recreated memories of Arjen Robben by cutting in from the right and curling into the top corner with his left foot.
"He didn't have many chances today but scored three goals," said Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp.
Lewandowski, himself said it was important to take such victories when the chance arose but, amid Bayern's hectic scheduled it was good to play the last half hour "with a little break on."
With a league record 10 goals in five games, Lewandowski is well on pace to beat Gerd Muller's long-standing Bundesliga scoring record of 40 from 1972.
Schalke stayed second last while bottom club Mainz lost a fifth successive game 3-2 to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Union Berlin and Freiburg drew 1-1 in front of 4,500 fans who were banned from singing or cheering as a coronavirus hygiene measure. VfB Stuttgart drew 1-1 with Cologne.
Australian Associated Press
